Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1300-1400
Origin: From the sound

hum

1 verb
     
hum1 past tense and past participle hummed, present participle humming
1 [intransitive and transitive] to sing a tune by making a continuous sound with your lips closed
hum to yourself
Tony was humming to himself as he drove along.
He began to hum a tune.
2 [intransitive] to make a low continuous sound:
Machines hummed on the factory floor.
3 [intransitive ] if a place hums, it is full of activity - use this to show approval [↪ busy]:
By nine o'clock, the restaurant was humming.
hum with
The streets were humming with life.
4

hum and haw

British English to take a long time deciding what to say or do [↪ hesitate; = hem and haw AmE]
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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