humming

American

[huhm-ing] / ˈhʌm ɪŋ /

adjective

making a droning sound; buzzing.
very busy; briskly active.

a humming office.

Other Word Forms

hummingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of humming

First recorded in 1570–80; hum + -ing ²

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

David Ellison has promised to keep HBO entact and the Paramount and Warner Bros. movie studios humming.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 23, 2026

He owns several very well-appointed residences and has an attractive, intermittently charming wife, Agnes, who keeps those properties humming.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

But John San Marco, senior research analyst at Neuberger Berman, thinks consumers have “enough in the tank” to power through and keep the economy humming.

From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026

Even amid cataclysmic energy shocks and relentless spates of white-collar layoffs, the American economic engine appears to be humming along smoothly.

From Slate • Apr. 3, 2026

Madge is humming, and I open my eyes and glance at her.

From "Muffled" by Jennifer Gennari

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023