hums 1 of 2

noun

plural of hum
as in purrs
a monotonous sound like that of an insect in motion we heard the hum of an outboard motor and a few minutes later the small craft came into sight

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hums

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of hum
1
as in buzzes
to be copiously supplied one restaurant was humming with diners, while a neighboring eatery was practically empty

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in zips
to fly, turn, or move rapidly with a fluttering or vibratory sound a helicopter hummed overhead

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of hums
Noun
Jane Marsching, swathed in a deep-blue apron printed with white leaves, hums beneath a linden tree. — Kendra Nordin Beato, Christian Science Monitor, 8 Oct. 2026 Very occasionally, a scooter—piled high with passengers—hums past. — Claire Turrell, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Sep. 2026 Their Hybrid Active Noise Cancellation effectively quiets daily transit hums and crowded office chatter, while custom 40mm drivers pump out rich acoustics backed by customizable Ultra Bass tuning. — Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 8 Sep. 2026 The bread machine works on a timer and hums along at its regular pace. — Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Aug. 2026 That screened out background hums and consistent noise, but could never cope with dynamic audio spikes. — Ewan Spence, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026 June 21 – July 22 Quiet optimism hums beneath today’s choices. — Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 28 June 2026 Cancer June 21 – July 22 Quiet optimism hums beneath today’s choices. — Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 28 June 2026 The town's hospital hums with constant activity, marking the scale of the outbreak in the town. — Emmet Livingstone, NPR, 24 June 2026
Verb
Beneath it all hums the climate crisis, driving hotter, drier weather and pushing the water cycle off balance. — Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 6 Oct. 2026 But the area has history, with an old town dating back to the Etruscans and a tranquil port that hums to life each morning with fishing boats. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 Sep. 2026 Best Time to Visit The best time to visit Delray Beach is from late April through early June, when the city still hums with energy but sheds the intensity of peak season. — Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 11 July 2026 To prevent its data centers from overheating, SpaceX plans to adopt liquid cooling, but not the kind that hums inside your desktop PC. — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 9 June 2026 Cobbled together as a mixtape from a collection of leaks—allegedly because Veeze was holding onto a payload of Carti tracks—the tape hums along with a looseness that could only come from not being edited to death. — Matthew Ritchie, Pitchfork, 2 June 2026 Michelle Williams On a cool spring morning at Booker Vineyard in Paso Robles, California, a drone hums low over the Syrah block. — Michelle Williams, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026 While Perseverance hums along at a feature known as the Jezero crater, about 2,300 miles East the Curiosity rover has been exploring the ancient Gale Crater since 2012. — Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 12 May 2026 His body may be showing its age, but his mind still hums like the Big House before kickoff. — Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hums
  1. purrs
  2. buzzes
  3. zips
  4. whispers
  5. bursts
  6. whirs
Noun
  • Kimie Smothermon begins each day greeted by the squeals, chirps and purrs of nearly 400 guinea pigs.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Wafting odors of 100-octane gasoline and rumbling purrs of V8 engines punched through the overcast morning at Sonoma Raceway on Saturday as the Velocity Invitational car meet entered its second day.
    — Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 31 May 2026
Definition of purrs
Verb
  • Best Time To Visit As a lake town, Coeur d’Alene buzzes with activity in the summer months, but fall is arguably its best season.
    — Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Elimar, the ground floor restaurant, buzzes at breakfast with a spectacular spread including giant wheels of parmesan and sides of prosciutto, fruit, egg and pancake stations, and a gluten-free section.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of buzzes
Verb
  • Friday night begins with the new Shooting Stars event, which zips through the past, present and future of women’s basketball.
    — Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 24 July 2026
  • It zips in the front like my favorite wetsuit, requiring little gymnastics to get on, and provides ample sun coverage for long paddles on the water.
    — Christina Shepherd McGuire, PEOPLE, 28 June 2026
Definition of zips
Noun
  • The whispers about their similarities intensified on the announcement of the engagement of Crown Prince Hussein, son of King Abdullah II and Queen Rania, to Rajwa in August 2022.
    — Stephanie Bridger-Linning, Vanity Fair, 17 Oct. 2026
  • High prices also a factor But despite positive weather news and whispers of an abundance of crab, other factors could affect prices in adverse ways for consumers.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of whispers
Verb
  • In these moments, the actor bursts through his roles as the Spider does through Reilly, unleashing the Grand Guignol excess that is Nicolas Cage.
    — Harmon Siegel, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Things quickly take a terrifying turn during surgery when a scorpion tail suddenly bursts through Perry’s back, attacking one of the surgeons mid-operation.
    — Lily Brown, PEOPLE, 26 June 2026
Definition of bursts
Verb
  • The machine whirs to life, the smell of hot plastic slowly seeping into the air.
    — Jack Crosbie, Rolling Stone, 17 June 2026
  • This vast bundle of life and existence whirrs continually, creating the comforting harmonic tone that defines this place.
    — Stephen Trimble, Denver Post, 8 Apr. 2026
Definition of whirs

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Cite this Entry

“Hums.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hums. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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