"humming" meaning in English

See humming in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Adjective

IPA: /ˈhʌmɪŋ/ Forms: more humming [comparative], most humming [superlative]
Rhymes: -ʌmɪŋ Etymology: From hum + -ing. Etymology templates: {{af|en|hum|-ing}} hum + -ing Head templates: {{en-adj}} humming (comparative more humming, superlative most humming)
  1. Making a hum sound.
    Sense id: en-humming-en-adj-e1zY-NcW Categories (other): English terms suffixed with -ing (gerund noun) Disambiguation of English terms suffixed with -ing (gerund noun): 11 0 34 26 29
  2. (archaic) Of ale or beer: very strong. Tags: archaic
    Sense id: en-humming-en-adj-y1XgMbtz
  3. (UK, slang) Very bad-smelling. Tags: UK, slang
    Sense id: en-humming-en-adj-RkE3fPnz Categories (other): British English, English terms suffixed with -ing, English terms suffixed with -ing (gerund noun) Disambiguation of English terms suffixed with -ing: 29 0 43 28 Disambiguation of English terms suffixed with -ing (gerund noun): 11 0 34 26 29
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Derived forms: humming October, humming stone, humming-top, humming top
Etymology number: 1

Noun

IPA: /ˈhʌmɪŋ/ Forms: hummings [plural]
Rhymes: -ʌmɪŋ Etymology: From Middle English hummynge, equivalent to hum + -ing. Etymology templates: {{inh|en|enm|hummynge}} Middle English hummynge, {{suf|en|hum|-ing|id2=gerund noun}} hum + -ing Head templates: {{en-noun}} humming (plural hummings)
  1. The sound of something that hums; a hum. Hypernyms: sound Hyponyms: crooning, girn, purr, purring
    Sense id: en-humming-en-noun-FA7BhYvQ Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English terms suffixed with -ing (gerund noun), Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 7 1 29 55 7 Disambiguation of English terms suffixed with -ing (gerund noun): 11 0 34 26 29 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 10 0 16 64 10 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 9 0 12 70 8 Synonyms: bombination, buzz, buzzing, drone, droning, hum, humming, thrum, thrumming, whirr, whirring, whizz, whizzing
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Etymology number: 2

Verb

IPA: /ˈhʌmɪŋ/
Rhymes: -ʌmɪŋ Etymology: From hum + -ing. Etymology templates: {{af|en|hum|-ing}} hum + -ing Head templates: {{head|en|verb form}} humming
  1. present participle and gerund of hum Tags: form-of, gerund, participle, present Form of: hum
    Sense id: en-humming-en-verb-hf1X2rjl Categories (other): English terms suffixed with -ing (gerund noun) Disambiguation of English terms suffixed with -ing (gerund noun): 11 0 34 26 29
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Etymology number: 1

Inflected forms

{
  "etymology_number": 1,
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "hum",
        "3": "-ing"
      },
      "expansion": "hum + -ing",
      "name": "af"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From hum + -ing.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "verb form"
      },
      "expansion": "humming",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "11 0 34 26 29",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms suffixed with -ing (gerund noun)",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "form_of": [
        {
          "word": "hum"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "present participle and gerund of hum"
      ],
      "id": "en-humming-en-verb-hf1X2rjl",
      "links": [
        [
          "hum",
          "hum#English"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "form-of",
        "gerund",
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈhʌmɪŋ/"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ʌmɪŋ"
    }
  ],
  "word": "humming"
}

{
  "derived": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "humming October"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "humming stone"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "humming-top"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "humming top"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_number": 1,
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "hum",
        "3": "-ing"
      },
      "expansion": "hum + -ing",
      "name": "af"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From hum + -ing.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "more humming",
      "tags": [
        "comparative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "most humming",
      "tags": [
        "superlative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "humming (comparative more humming, superlative most humming)",
      "name": "en-adj"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "11 0 34 26 29",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms suffixed with -ing (gerund noun)",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Making a hum sound."
      ],
      "id": "en-humming-en-adj-e1zY-NcW"
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1889, John Bickerdyke, The Curiosities of Ale & Beer: An Entertaining History, page 13:",
          "text": "But at night crowds of visitors called at his cot, / For he told a right marvellous tale; / Yet a stronger attraction by chance he had got, / A barrel of old humming ale.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Of ale or beer: very strong."
      ],
      "id": "en-humming-en-adj-y1XgMbtz",
      "links": [
        [
          "ale",
          "ale"
        ],
        [
          "beer",
          "beer"
        ],
        [
          "strong",
          "strong"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(archaic) Of ale or beer: very strong."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "archaic"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "British English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "29 0 43 28",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms suffixed with -ing",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "11 0 34 26 29",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms suffixed with -ing (gerund noun)",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Very bad-smelling."
      ],
      "id": "en-humming-en-adj-RkE3fPnz",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(UK, slang) Very bad-smelling."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "UK",
        "slang"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈhʌmɪŋ/"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ʌmɪŋ"
    }
  ],
  "word": "humming"
}

{
  "antonyms": [
    {
      "source": "Thesaurus:humming",
      "word": "snapping"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_number": 2,
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "hummynge"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English hummynge",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "hum",
        "3": "-ing",
        "id2": "gerund noun"
      },
      "expansion": "hum + -ing",
      "name": "suf"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Middle English hummynge, equivalent to hum + -ing.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "hummings",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "humming (plural hummings)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "7 1 29 55 7",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "11 0 34 26 29",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms suffixed with -ing (gerund noun)",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "10 0 16 64 10",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "9 0 12 70 8",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1969 December 8, New York Magazine, volume 2, number 49, page 70:",
          "text": "There are some contemporary additions to these scattered fragments from Shakespeare. Mostly they are songs; sometimes they are various screechings and hummings[…]",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The sound of something that hums; a hum."
      ],
      "hypernyms": [
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:humming",
          "word": "sound"
        }
      ],
      "hyponyms": [
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:humming",
          "word": "crooning"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:humming",
          "word": "girn"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:humming",
          "word": "purr"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:humming",
          "word": "purring"
        }
      ],
      "id": "en-humming-en-noun-FA7BhYvQ",
      "links": [
        [
          "hum",
          "hum"
        ]
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:humming",
          "word": "bombination"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:humming",
          "word": "buzz"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:humming",
          "word": "buzzing"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:humming",
          "word": "drone"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:humming",
          "word": "droning"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:humming",
          "word": "hum"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:humming",
          "word": "humming"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:humming",
          "word": "thrum"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:humming",
          "word": "thrumming"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:humming",
          "word": "whirr"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:humming",
          "word": "whirring"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:humming",
          "word": "whizz"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:humming",
          "word": "whizzing"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈhʌmɪŋ/"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ʌmɪŋ"
    }
  ],
  "word": "humming"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English adjectives",
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English non-lemma forms",
    "English nouns",
    "English terms derived from Middle English",
    "English terms inherited from Middle English",
    "English terms suffixed with -ing",
    "English terms suffixed with -ing (gerund noun)",
    "English verb forms",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Rhymes:English/ʌmɪŋ",
    "Rhymes:English/ʌmɪŋ/2 syllables"
  ],
  "etymology_number": 1,
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "hum",
        "3": "-ing"
      },
      "expansion": "hum + -ing",
      "name": "af"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From hum + -ing.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "verb form"
      },
      "expansion": "humming",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "form_of": [
        {
          "word": "hum"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "present participle and gerund of hum"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "hum",
          "hum#English"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "form-of",
        "gerund",
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈhʌmɪŋ/"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ʌmɪŋ"
    }
  ],
  "word": "humming"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English adjectives",
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English non-lemma forms",
    "English nouns",
    "English terms derived from Middle English",
    "English terms inherited from Middle English",
    "English terms suffixed with -ing",
    "English terms suffixed with -ing (gerund noun)",
    "English verb forms",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Rhymes:English/ʌmɪŋ",
    "Rhymes:English/ʌmɪŋ/2 syllables"
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "humming October"
    },
    {
      "word": "humming stone"
    },
    {
      "word": "humming-top"
    },
    {
      "word": "humming top"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_number": 1,
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "hum",
        "3": "-ing"
      },
      "expansion": "hum + -ing",
      "name": "af"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From hum + -ing.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "more humming",
      "tags": [
        "comparative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "most humming",
      "tags": [
        "superlative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "humming (comparative more humming, superlative most humming)",
      "name": "en-adj"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "glosses": [
        "Making a hum sound."
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with archaic senses",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1889, John Bickerdyke, The Curiosities of Ale & Beer: An Entertaining History, page 13:",
          "text": "But at night crowds of visitors called at his cot, / For he told a right marvellous tale; / Yet a stronger attraction by chance he had got, / A barrel of old humming ale.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Of ale or beer: very strong."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "ale",
          "ale"
        ],
        [
          "beer",
          "beer"
        ],
        [
          "strong",
          "strong"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(archaic) Of ale or beer: very strong."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "archaic"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "British English",
        "English slang"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Very bad-smelling."
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(UK, slang) Very bad-smelling."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "UK",
        "slang"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈhʌmɪŋ/"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ʌmɪŋ"
    }
  ],
  "word": "humming"
}

{
  "antonyms": [
    {
      "source": "Thesaurus:humming",
      "word": "snapping"
    }
  ],
  "categories": [
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "English terms derived from Middle English",
    "English terms inherited from Middle English",
    "English terms suffixed with -ing (gerund noun)",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Rhymes:English/ʌmɪŋ",
    "Rhymes:English/ʌmɪŋ/2 syllables"
  ],
  "etymology_number": 2,
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "hummynge"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English hummynge",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "hum",
        "3": "-ing",
        "id2": "gerund noun"
      },
      "expansion": "hum + -ing",
      "name": "suf"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Middle English hummynge, equivalent to hum + -ing.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "hummings",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "humming (plural hummings)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "hypernyms": [
    {
      "source": "Thesaurus:humming",
      "word": "sound"
    }
  ],
  "hyponyms": [
    {
      "source": "Thesaurus:humming",
      "word": "crooning"
    },
    {
      "source": "Thesaurus:humming",
      "word": "girn"
    },
    {
      "source": "Thesaurus:humming",
      "word": "purr"
    },
    {
      "source": "Thesaurus:humming",
      "word": "purring"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1969 December 8, New York Magazine, volume 2, number 49, page 70:",
          "text": "There are some contemporary additions to these scattered fragments from Shakespeare. Mostly they are songs; sometimes they are various screechings and hummings[…]",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The sound of something that hums; a hum."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "hum",
          "hum"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈhʌmɪŋ/"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ʌmɪŋ"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "source": "Thesaurus:humming",
      "word": "bombination"
    },
    {
      "source": "Thesaurus:humming",
      "word": "buzz"
    },
    {
      "source": "Thesaurus:humming",
      "word": "buzzing"
    },
    {
      "source": "Thesaurus:humming",
      "word": "drone"
    },
    {
      "source": "Thesaurus:humming",
      "word": "droning"
    },
    {
      "source": "Thesaurus:humming",
      "word": "hum"
    },
    {
      "source": "Thesaurus:humming",
      "word": "humming"
    },
    {
      "source": "Thesaurus:humming",
      "word": "thrum"
    },
    {
      "source": "Thesaurus:humming",
      "word": "thrumming"
    },
    {
      "source": "Thesaurus:humming",
      "word": "whirr"
    },
    {
      "source": "Thesaurus:humming",
      "word": "whirring"
    },
    {
      "source": "Thesaurus:humming",
      "word": "whizz"
    },
    {
      "source": "Thesaurus:humming",
      "word": "whizzing"
    }
  ],
  "word": "humming"
}

Download raw JSONL data for humming meaning in English (5.4kB)

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-04-05 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-04-03 using wiktextract (8c1bb29 and fb63907). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.