hush

1 of 3

verb

hushed; hushing; hushes

transitive verb

1
: calm, quiet
hushed the children as they entered the library
2
: to put at rest : mollify
3
: to keep from public knowledge : suppress
hush the story up

intransitive verb

: to become quiet

hush

2 of 3

adjective

1
archaic : silent, still
2
: intended to prevent the dissemination of certain information
hush money

hush

3 of 3

noun

: a silence or calm especially following noise : quiet

Examples of hush in a Sentence

Verb The woman in the seat behind me was trying to hush her baby. The judge hushed the spectators. The spectators hushed as the judge entered the courtroom. Noun the storm passed, and a hush fell over the sea a hush fell over the auditorium as the lights went down
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
The shows are decades behind us, but the hushing effect of power and the quiet acceptance of predatory behavior is still an evergreen in Hollywood, as evidenced by all the folks who’ve released weak-sauce defenses, or maintained total radio silence since the documentary aired this week. Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2024 Draped with hanging vines, pierced with sunlight beams from openings to the sky, and hushed with stony silence, these natural wonders are a must-visit in Tulum. Meagan Drillinger, Travel + Leisure, 3 Mar. 2024 Lasting just over an hour, the prince’s visit was hushed, orderly and tightly choreographed — noticeably different from some other displays of climate activism that took place in the city this month. Callie Holtermann, New York Times, 20 Sep. 2023 The 2010 Hot 100 No. 1 remains an extremely contentious song within his discography, with many fans deriding it as a regrettable EDM-era throwaway and other fans telling those fans to hush and just fist-pump along with the hook. Stephen Daw, Billboard, 13 Feb. 2024 Hypnotists hush our brains’ analytic tendencies: Shhhh, stop worrying about your tax return and cluck like a chicken. Emily Latimer, Longreads, 25 Jan. 2024 After a long, hushed conversation with the actress Brie Larson, Novak walked across the patio, looking a bit dazed. Carrie Battan, The New Yorker, 15 Jan. 2024 The theater was hushed before his downbeat when a voice rang out from a balcony. Zachary Woolfe, New York Times, 17 Nov. 2023 Levi and his vixens take to the stage, call to the assembled to momentarily hush the widespread chatter of spiritual accomplishments and anarchist activism and to ready themselves for the contest. Matt Thompson, SPIN, 8 Nov. 2023
Adjective
It was designed for parents to help soothe their babies on the go with any of its 10 sounds: white noise, ocean, rain, water, wind, dryer, fan, rock-a-bye, heartbeat, and hush. Meaghan Kenny, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Mar. 2024 Knowingly putting yourself at risk for an enhanced rear end is something many women have kept on the hush, hush for years. Tayler Adigun, Essence, 16 Feb. 2024 The Lakers' star kept details about the nuptials hush from their 248 guests until the last possible moment. Lynsey Eidell, Peoplemag, 18 Jan. 2024 Oladipo was injured with the Heat in the midst of a 121-99 rout of the Bucks, a hush engulfing Kaseya Center after the non-contact injury that came with an awkward landing along the baseline, the postgame celebration muted. Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 8 Jan. 2024 The hush cut originally hails from Korea and is defined by face-framing layers and wispy bangs. Hannah Coates, Glamour, 11 Aug. 2023 Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg had argued that the hush payment had nothing to do with Trump's presidential duties. Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 19 July 2023 But will that change this summer? Already indicted in New York on felony charges related to hush payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels, as well as charged last month on felony charges connected to his handling of classified documents, Trump could face more legal problems this summer. Gromer Jeffers Jr., Dallas News, 3 July 2023 Zong Sae Vang was one of the people who received a smoke alarm Friday and listened intently as Lipski, the fire chief, explained the device's features, including a hush button. Skyler Chun, Journal Sentinel, 16 June 2023
Noun
Despite how much the media is attempting to keep what is going on to a hush; individuals of every culture are making their voices heard. Journal Sentinel, 11 Jan. 2024 Serpentine Hot Springs has been a place of spiritual importance for the Inupiaq for millennia, and every season brings something different: the silent hush of ice and snow in winter, carpets of wildflowers in spring, soft green grasses in summer, and wild berries and ruddy colors in fall. Shoshi Parks, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Jan. 2024 The sudden, accidental play left a solemn hush throughout the gym. Sam Cohn, Baltimore Sun, 3 Jan. 2024 There was a hush in the room, as Jenny described earlier. Amy Scharf, Scientific American, 11 Jan. 2024 Ib Kamara was similarly inclined to interrupt the hush of quiet luxury at Off-White. Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 11 Jan. 2024 On the sandy path, Morito’s fluid walk was silent, and our group fell into an awed hush. Catherine Buni, Travel + Leisure, 3 Dec. 2023 If the album was introspective and hardly micro-targeted at top 40 radio — almost conveyed in a hush, at times — Abrams says Interscope didn’t balk at that. Chris Willman, Variety, 20 Dec. 2023 When the final words came down on Tuesday from the chamber's presiding officer, there was a hush in the previously raucous chamber -- a momentarily silent acknowledgement of the history that had just been made. Rick Klein, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hush.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

back-formation from husht hushed, from Middle English hussht, from huissht, interjection used to enjoin silence

First Known Use

Verb

1546, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Adjective

1602, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1650, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hush was in 1546

Dictionary Entries Near hush

Cite this Entry

“Hush.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hush. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

hush

1 of 2 verb
1
: to make quiet, calm, or still : soothe
hush a baby
2
: to become quiet
3
: to keep from public knowledge : suppress
hush up the crime

hush

2 of 2 noun
: a silence or calm especially following noise : quiet

More from Merriam-Webster on hush

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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