Humming

Pronunciation: /ˈhʌmɪŋ/

Definitions of humming

verb to make a low, steady continuous sound like that of a bee

Example Sentences

A1 The little girl was humming a song while playing with her toys.

A2 I can hear my neighbor humming a tune next door.

B1 She was humming softly to herself as she worked on her painting.

B2 The choir members were humming in harmony before they started singing.

C1 The famous singer was caught on camera humming backstage before his performance.

C2 The sound of the orchestra tuning their instruments could be heard humming throughout the concert hall.

Examples of humming in a Sentence

formal The sound of the humming machinery filled the factory floor.

informal I could hear a faint humming coming from the fridge.

slang She was humming along to her favorite song on the radio.

figurative The city was alive with the humming of activity and excitement.

Grammatical Forms of humming

• past tense: hummed
• plural: hummings
• comparative: more humming
• superlative: most humming
• present tense: hum
• future tense: will hum
• perfect tense: have hummed
• continuous tense: is humming
• singular: humming
• positive degree: hum
• infinitive: to hum
• gerund: humming
• participle: hummed

Origin and Evolution of humming

First Known Use: 1250 year

Language of Origin: Middle English

Story behind the word: The word 'humming' originated from the Middle English word 'hummen' which was derived from the Old English word 'hymnan'.

Evolution of the word: Originally used to describe the sound of bees or other insects, the word 'humming' evolved to also refer to the sound produced by humans when singing or making a continuous low sound.