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# hush

«hush» in Mova's school dictionary: **to make them be quiet or calm** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 2 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

verb (hush, hushes, hushed, hushing); noun (a hush); interjection (hush!)

### meaning for a pupil

1) To hush someone is to make them be quiet or calm. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hush/#m1)

2) As a command, «Hush!» means «Be quiet!». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hush/#m2)

3) A hush is a sudden quiet, when everyone stops talking. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hush/#m3)

4) To hush something up is to keep it secret so people do not find out, often something bad. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hush/#m4)

### sense in the lessons

In stories a hush often comes just before something important happens: «A hush fell over the room». Parents hush babies with lullabies («Hush, little baby»). In news and history «hush it up» means hiding a scandal. Phrases: «a hush fell», «hush up», «hush-hush» (informal, secret), «hush money».

### examples

- «Hush now, the baby's asleep,» whispered Dad. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hush/#x1)
- A hush fell over the hall when the head teacher walked in. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hush/#x2)
- Mum hushed us when the phone rang. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hush/#x3)
- The company tried to hush up the accident. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hush/#x4)
- «Hush, little baby, don't say a word» is an old lullaby. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hush/#x5)
- The plan is all very hush-hush, so don't tell anyone. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hush/#x6)
- In the hush of the forest we heard a woodpecker. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hush/#x7)
- "Hush," said John, and he told her some more. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hush/#x8)

### note

Past form «hushed». «A hushed voice» means a very quiet voice. «Hush-hush» is informal for «secret». «Hush money» is money paid to keep someone from telling a secret, which is often wrong or illegal. Countable as a noun only in «a hush».

### In the corpora

- [Now hush» («my lover» is just a friendly West Country «dear»).](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/512-the-granny-who-spoils-you-and-the-strict-grandad/9/)
- [The voice of the nobles was hushed, and their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/jps/JOB.733/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «hush» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hush/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.