Hum vs Haw - What's the difference?
hum | haw |
A hummed tune, i.e. created orally with lips closed.
An often indistinct sound resembling human humming.
* Shakespeare
Busy activity, like the buzz of a beehive.
(UK, slang) unpleasant odour.
(dated) An imposition or hoax; humbug.
(obsolete) A kind of strong drink.
To make a sound from the vocal chords without pronouncing any real words, with one's lips closed.
To express by humming.
To drone like certain insects naturally do in motion, or sounding similarly
* 1922 , (Virginia Woolf), (w, Jacob's Room) Chapter 2
To buzz, be busily active like a beehive
To produce low sounds which blend continuously
(British) To reek, smell bad.
(British) To deceive, or impose on one by some story or device.
(transitive, dated, slang) To flatter by approving; to cajole; to impose on; to humbug.
hmm; an inarticulate sound uttered in a pause of speech implying doubt and deliberation.
An imitation of laughter, often used to express scorn or disbelief. Often doubled or tripled (haw haw'' or ''haw haw haw ).
An intermission or hesitation of speech, with a sound somewhat like "haw"; the sound so made.
* Congreve
To stop, in speaking, with a sound like haw ; to speak with interruption and hesitation.
An instruction for a horse or other animal to turn towards the driver, typically left.
(of an animal) To turn towards the driver, typically to the left.
To cause (an animal) to turn left.
As nouns the difference between hum and haw
is that hum is a hummed tune, i.e. created orally with lips closed while haw is fruit of the hawthorn.As verbs the difference between hum and haw
is that hum is to make a sound from the vocal chords without pronouncing any real words, with one's lips closed while haw is to stop, in speaking, with a sound like haw; to speak with interruption and hesitation.As interjections the difference between hum and haw
is that hum is hmm; an inarticulate sound uttered in a pause of speech implying doubt and deliberation while haw is an imitation of laughter, often used to express scorn or disbelief. Often doubled or tripled (haw haw or haw haw haw).As a proper noun Haw is
{{surname|topographic and patronymic|from=given names}.hum
English
(wikipedia hum)Noun
(en noun)- They could hear a hum coming from the kitchen, and found the dishwasher on.
- the shard-borne beetle with his drowsy hums
- (Beaumont and Fletcher)
Verb
(humm)- We are humming happily along with the music.
- to hum a tune
- ''The hazers ominously hummed "We shall overcome" while they paddled the unruly pledges
- A slight gloom fell upon the table. Jacob was helping himself to jam; the postman was talking to Rebecca in the kitchen; there was a bee humming at the yellow flower which nodded at the open window.
- 'The streets were humming with activity.''
- This room really hums — have you ever tried spring cleaning, mate?
Derived terms
* hummer * hummingbird * humming-topSynonyms
* bumble * bustle * hustle * buzz * croon * whirAnagrams
*Interjection
(en interjection)- (Alexander Pope)
haw
English
Etymology 1
ImitativeInterjection
(en interjection)- You think that song was good? Haw!
- Hums or haws .
Usage notes
* (an imitation of laughter) In the US, the spelling haw is rare, with (ha) being more common.Verb
(en verb)Derived terms
* hum and haw, hem and hawEtymology 2
(etyl) hawe, from (etyl) ).Etymology 3
UnknownInterjection
(en interjection)Verb
(en verb)- This horse won't haw when I tell him to.
- You may have to go to the front of the pack and physically haw the lead dog.
