What does "hummer" mean?
One who hums.
Hummer
/ˈhʌmɚ/ name, noun, slang
name, noun, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: One who hums.
- Grammar: hummer is listed as name, noun, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: bullet, colibri, fastball, flier.
- Usage evidence: Hummer limousines are the ultimate symbol of conspicuous consumption.
How to use "hummer"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "hummer" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "hummer" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "hummer" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "hummer" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "hummer" is acting as name, noun, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "bullet" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "hummer", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 One who hums.
"Judy hummed to herself. “My mother was a hummer,” LeVecque said, without looking at her."
- 2 An arrest on false pretexts. slang
"The conspiracy rap was a hummer."
- 3 A brand of sport utility vehicles sold by General Motors, and by extension, any large similar vehicle.
"Hummers are a somewhat unusual sight in New York. The kinds of people who like them as status symbols often don’t like the city’s narrow, messy street configurations, which can be hard for bulky vehicles to manage."
- 4 (baseball) a pitch thrown with maximum velocity wordnet
- 5 A Humvee. informal
Show 18 more definitions
- 6 The HMMWV or Humvee, a US Army vehicle which replaced the Jeep. slang
""The vehicle is called the 'Hummer,' a contrived abbreviation of its official designation, 'High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle.'""
- 7 a singer who produces a tune without opening the lips or forming words wordnet
- 8 A type of vehicle resembling a jeep but bulkier.
"The newlyweds took a hummer limo back to their casino resort."
- 9 A hummingbird. informal
"July roth saw the first spotted egg hardly larger than a “hummer's,” lying in the nest."
- 10 A humdinger; something or someone exceptional or outstanding of their type. informal
""Ain't it a hummer of a day?" Jim exclaimed, suddenly, looking toward the valley swimming in a silver mist below us. "By Jiminy! it makes a man feel like living, don't it?""
- 11 A machine that runs particularly well and smoothly.
"“How'd you do with the rig?” Tater asked. Bubba did the sniff and wipe number again. “Piece a cake. That baby's a real hummer, Tater.”"
- 12 A very energetic or lively person; a powerful lively thing. slang
"I had a thousand liars, perjurers and villains call on me, and six genuine survivors of Lafitte's band; besides quite a delegation of widows and daughters and offspring of the late lamented pirate. No less than ten of his widows turned up; Jean must have been a hummer!"
- 13 A place, event etc. that is bustling or full of activity. dated, slang
"[Heading: The Conferences] St. Joe was a hummer. It was largely attended, enthusiastic, and splendidly entertained by the pastor, Rev. J. Simons, and his people."
- 14 Something that generates a lot of attention, talk, and excitement.
"Lansing Rubber Company Will Be Real Hummer"
- 15 A fastball.
"Branca, concentrating so intently that he didn't hear the braying crowd, threw a hummer down the middle."
- 16 Fellatio, especially when the person performing the act vibrates their mouth by humming. slang
"My mama says they make Danish jelly out of cow balls, man. Eating that's like giving a heifer a hummer."
- 17 Someone who upsets or irritates others; a trouble-maker or controversial figure.
"Of all the onnery new galoots That come to Scrambletown that summer, The meanest cuss—you bet your boots— Was H.A. Jones. He was a hummer! This Jones he was the biggest liar In all that country, all aroun' ; And by the high celestial choir, The liars there was hard to down,—In Scrambletown."
- 18 The condition of having no money. obsolete, slang, usually
"During the course of their restless, feverish careers they solicit insurance, collect for instalment houses, work advertising schemes, and finally land square on the hummer."
- 19 An admirer. obsolete, slang
"The description therefore which the Duke of Ormond's correspondent gives of himself accords in no way with the early experience of the fluent extempore preacher whose eloquence roused Evelyn's enthusiasm, and was so generally admired that when he had preached the hour-glass out, his "hummers" used to encourage him to give them another hour of exhortation."
- 20 A tantrum or fuss.
"In 1970 she threw a real hummer in her widely acclaimed article for the New York Times entitled “And Don't Call Them 'Lady' Composers” which attacked the music establishment for its sexist practices and its willful dismissal of women's participation and achievement (Oliversos 1970)."
- 21 A lie or tall tale. obsolete, slang
"It is not supposed that there is now, or that there ever was a man in Madison county who would willfully lie to hurt a fellow-man, or even to enhanced his own interests, but for your spinning yarns and big story telling, she has had some "hummers.""
- 22 A liar. obsolete, slang
"The fine lady thinks she has wit, when she scandalizes her absent neighbours; and the hummer, when he hath told a lye with a grave face;"
- 23 Something that smells very bad. slang
"[…] stench. It was a real hummer, that's for sure. The doc went back inside and returned moments later […]"
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname from German
Example
"Hummer limousines are the ultimate symbol of conspicuous consumption."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "hummer"?
Common synonyms include: bullet, colibri, fastball, flier, flyer, goer.
How do you use "hummer" in a sentence?
Hummer limousines are the ultimate symbol of conspicuous consumption.
How do you pronounce "hummer"?
Pronounced /ˈhʌmɚ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From hum + -er.
Etymology 2
From Humvee + -er.
Etymology 3
From the German and West Frisian surname, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *hugô, *hugiz (“mind”) + *mērijaz (“famous”). Related to Hugh and the first element of Merovingian.