Hush — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

verb adjective noun /ˈhəsh/

Meaning & Definition of Hush

Hush (verb)

  1. calm, quiet
  2. to put at rest, mollify
  3. to keep from public knowledge, suppress

Hush (adjective)

  1. silent, still
  2. intended to prevent the dissemination of certain information

Hush (noun)

  1. a silence or calm especially following noise, quiet

Hush (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a state of freedom from storm or disturbance

    "the storm passed, and a hush fell over the sea"

    similar: calm, calmness, peace, peacefulness, placidity, quiet, quietness, quietude, repose, restfulness, sereneness, serenity, still, stillness, tranquility
    related: lull, pause, respite, silence, mildness, soothingness, comity, concord, harmony, casualness, easygoingness, informality, laid-backness, relaxedness
    opposite: bustle, commotion, hubbub, hurly-burly, pandemonium, tumult, turmoil, unquietness, unrest, uproar
    near: clamor, din, noise, racket

  2. the near or complete absence of sound

    "a hush fell over the auditorium as the lights went down"

    similar: quiet, quietness, quietude, silence, still, stillness
    related: calm, lull, peace, peacefulness, tranquility
    opposite: noise, sound, unquietness
    near: babel, blare, bluster, cacophony, chatter, clamor, clangor, din, hubbub, racket, rattle, roar, tumult, uproar

Hush (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to become still and orderly

    "the whole room hushed when the queen made her entrance"

    similar: calm (down), chill out (slang), cool, pipe down, quiet, settle (down), cool it
    related: dry up, relax, tranquilize, unwind, zone out
    opposite: act up, carry on, cut up
    near: clown (around), fool around, horse around, monkey (around), show off, skylark

  2. to stop talking

    "the principal asked the children to hush and pay attention during the ceremony"

    similar: belt up (British), clam up, dry up, dummy up, pipe down, quiet (down), shut up, hold one's tongue
    related: calm (down), cool (down), settle (down), haw, hem
    opposite: speak, talk
    near: pipe up, sound off, speak out, speak up, spout (off), talk up

  3. to stop the noise or speech of

    "he tried to hush the baby by making a lot of silly faces"

    similar: dumb, extinguish, mute, quell, quiet, quieten (chiefly British), settle, shush, shut up, silence, squelch, still
    near: agitate, stir

Related Entry: Hush (up) (verb)

Hush (up) is a different word from Hush. The synonyms below are for hush (up), not for hush.

  1. to keep from being publicly known

    "the well-connected family was able to hush up the scandal so it never reached the papers"

    similar: burke, cover (up), suppress
    related: black out, censor, gag, muzzle, silence, quash, repress, smother, spike, squash, squelch, stifle, strangle, throttle
    near: debunk, expose, reveal, show up, uncloak, uncover, unmask, blab, disclose, divulge, spill, tell, unveil, broadcast, circulate, publish, spread, describe, narrate, recite, recount, rehearse, relate, report

Related Entry: Hush-hush (adjective)

Hush-hush is a different word from Hush. The synonyms below are for hush-hush, not for hush.

  1. not known or meant to be known by the general populace

    "the reporter suspected there was a hush-hush reason why the company agreed to the deal"

    similar: behind-the-scenes, confidential, esoteric, hushed, inside, intimate, nonpublic, private, privy, secret
    related: classified, restricted, top secret, silent, unadvertised, unannounced, undisclosed, unmentioned, unsaid, untold, clandestine, closet, collusive, conspiratorial, covert, furtive, hugger-mugger, occult, sneak, sneaking, sneaky, stealthy, surreptitious, undercover, underground, underhand, underhanded, personal, closeted, concealed, hidden, repressed, silenced, stifled, suppressed, backstage, offscreen, offstage
    opposite: common, open, public
    near: well-known, advertised, aired, announced, blazed, broadcast, declared, disclosed, divulged, enunciated, heralded, proclaimed, professed, promulgated, publicized, published, reported, spotlighted, general, popular, prevailing, vulgar, current, prevalent, rife, widespread, communal, shared

  2. undertaken or done so as to escape being observed or known by others

    "top-echelon diplomats met in a hush-hush conference in a last-ditch effort to head off an international crisis"

    similar: backstairs, behind-the-scenes, clandestine, covert, furtive, hole-and-corner, hugger-mugger, private, privy, secret, sneak, sneaking, sneaky, stealth, stealthy, surreptitious, undercover, underground, underhand, underhanded
    related: back-channel, closed-door, off-the-books, off-the-record, classified, confidential, restricted, top secret, undisclosed, concealed, hidden, secreted, subterranean, unadvertised, unexposed
    opposite: open, overt, public
    near: acknowledged, avowed, aboveboard, straightforward, unconcealed, undisguised, unclassified, unrestricted, clear, evident, manifest, obvious, patent, plain

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Hush

The most common words with a similar meaning to Hush:

Slang: chill out
British: belt up
Chiefly British: quieten
calm, calmness, peace, peacefulness, placidity, quiet, quietness, quietude, repose, restfulness, sereneness, serenity, still, stillness, tranquility, silence, calm (down), cool, pipe down, settle (down), clam up, dry up, dummy up, quiet (down), shut up, dumb, extinguish, mute, quell, settle, shush, squelch, cool it, hold one's tongue

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Hush

Words with the opposite meaning of Hush:

bustle, commotion, hubbub, hurly-burly, pandemonium, tumult, turmoil, unquietness, unrest, uproar, noise, sound, act up, carry on, cut up, speak, talk

Related Words for Hush

lull, pause, respite, mildness, soothingness, comity, concord, harmony, casualness, easygoingness, informality, laid-backness, relaxedness, relax, tranquilize, unwind, zone out, cool (down), haw, hem

Near Antonyms of Hush

clamor, din, racket, babel, blare, bluster, cacophony, chatter, clangor, rattle, roar, clown (around), fool around, horse around, monkey (around), show off, skylark, pipe up, sound off, speak out, speak up, spout (off), talk up, agitate, stir

Word Forms of Hush

Inflections: hushed, hushing, hushes

Origin & Etymology of Hush

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

First known use: 1546t

Words & Phrases Containing Hush

hush-hush, hush puppy, hush money, hush up, hush up (someone or something)

Frequently Asked Questions about Hush

What does "Hush" mean?

"Hush" means calm, quiet. As an a verb, an adjective and a noun, it is defined as: calm, quiet. It has 5 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Hush"?

Other words for "Hush" include calm, calmness, peace, peacefulness, placidity, quiet, quietness and quietude. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Hush" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Hush"?

There are 57 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Hush". Common alternatives include calm, calmness, peace, peacefulness, placidity, quiet, quietness, quietude, repose and restfulness.

What is the opposite of "Hush"?

Antonyms of "Hush" include bustle, commotion, hubbub, hurly-burly, pandemonium, tumult, turmoil and unquietness. Near antonyms include clamor, din, racket and babel.

How do you use "Hush" in a sentence?

Examples of "Hush" in a sentence: "the storm passed, and a hush fell over the sea"; "a hush fell over the auditorium as the lights went down"; "the whole room hushed when the queen made her entrance".

Is "Hush" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Hush" can be used as a verb, an adjective and a noun, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Hush"?

"Hush" is pronounced /ˈhəsh/.

What is the origin of the word "Hush"?

"Hush" comes from back-formation from husht hushed, from Middle English hussht, from huissht, interjection used to enjoin silence. First known use: 1546t.