Hush
hʌʃ
Definitions
2 meaningsTo silence or make quiet.
hʌʃ
To make someone or something quiet.
She hushed the children before the performance began.
💡 Simply: Like when you tell your friends to be quiet when you want to hear a secret or when someone is being too noisy. Imagine you want to watch a movie, so you tell your friends to hush, so you can hear the movie.
👶 For kids: To tell someone to be quiet.
More Examples
The teacher hushed the class when the principal walked in.
He tried to hush his fears by focusing on the task.
How It's Used
"The mother hushed her crying baby."
"The librarian hushed the noisy students."
Silence; quiet.
hʌʃ
Silence or quiet.
A sudden hush fell over the room.
💡 Simply: It's when everything is quiet, like when everyone stops talking to listen to something important.
👶 For kids: Being quiet.
More Examples
The hush of the early morning was very peaceful.
The hush before the storm was eerie.
How It's Used
"The hush of the forest was broken by a bird's call."
"A hush fell over the crowd as the performer began to sing."
Idioms & expressions
hush-hush
Secret or confidential; requiring silence.
"The meeting was a hush-hush affair, with only the top executives present."
fall into a hush
To become suddenly quiet.
"The audience fell into a hush when the actor walked onstage."
From Middle English huschen, from Old English *hūscian ('to be silent, soothe'), of imitative origin.
Used since the Old English period, often in connection to pacifying or silencing.
Memory tip
Imagine you're shushing someone; you're trying to hush them.