Synonyms

shush

American

[shuhsh, shoosh] / ʃʌʃ, ʃʊʃ /

interjection

hush (used as a command to be quiet or silent).

verb (used with object)

to order (someone or something) to be silent; hush.

shush British

/ ʃʊʃ /

interjection

be quiet! hush!

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

to silence or calm (someone) by or as if by saying "shush"

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

shusher noun

Etymology

Origin of shush

First recorded in 1920–25; imitative

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.

A rush of wind swept through the trees, the sound like a mother shushing a child.

From Literature

From shushing audience members to returning for a cup of tea at the height of his fame, Barlow certainly left his mark on the small Flintshire community.

From BBC

His friends groaned and tried to shush him; he waved them off.

From Los Angeles Times

In a loud voice, he said, “What are you shushing me for?”

From Literature

I tried to rock him and shush him, but he was awkward in my arms and he only cried louder.

From Literature

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