hush
/hʌʃ/ (bre, ipa) · /hʌʃ/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈhəsh/ (ame, mw)
hush — noun
1. a short period when noise stops unexpectedly and everything becomes quietly stil
a short period when noise stops unexpectedly and everything becomes quietly still
A hush fell over the gym when the principal opened the envelope.
collocation: a hush fell over + place
After the drummer stopped, a brief hush settled across the field.
The courtroom dropped into a hush as the jury returned.
For a moment, there was a hush before the crowd began cheering.
文法句型
a hush falls over + place
drop into a hush
用法筆記
Often used for silence that arrives right after noise or suspense. It is more sudden and dramatic than ordinary quiet.
hush — exclamation
1. said when you want someone to stop making noise at once
said when you want someone to stop making noise at once
Hush, the baby is asleep in the next room.
Hush, + reason for being quiet
Hush now, we can hear the actors from the back row.
"Hush," the nurse said, "your brother just fell asleep."
Hush, everyone, the train number is being announced.
文法句型
Hush, + clause
Hush, + person/group
用法筆記
Most often used to children or a small group in a gentle but immediate way. Hush now is especially common when calming someone.
常見錯誤
hush — verb
- hushpresent simple I / you / we / they
- husheshe / she / it
- hushedpast simple
- hushing-ing form
1. to become quiet, so that talking, crying, or other sound comes to an end
to become quiet, so that talking, crying, or other sound comes to an end
The room hushed as the nurse wheeled the patient inside.
[place/group] + hush
Conversation hushed when the teacher laid the exam papers down.
The toddler slowly hushed after his father sang the lullaby twice.
Even the birds hushed before the storm broke over the lake.
- quiet down
more everyday and often slightly less literary
- fall silent
emphasises the sudden start of silence
- settle
can include calming down, not only stopping sound
- speak up
to begin speaking more loudly or clearly
- grow louder
the sound increases instead of fading away
文法句型
[subject] + hush
[subject] + hush + when-clause
用法筆記
This sense is intransitive: the person, group, or place becomes quiet by itself. Distinguish from sense 2, where someone actively makes another person or thing quieter.
常見錯誤
2. to make a person, group, or sound become quieter or stop altogether
to make a person, group, or sound become quieter or stop altogether
Grandma hushed the children before the prayer began at dinner.
hush + person/group
The librarian hushed two boys racing between the shelves.
A soft song hushed the crying baby in the stroller.
Jin tried to hush his phone before it rang again in class.
文法句型
hush + someone
hush + sound/source of noise
用法筆記
This sense takes a direct object and is often used for children, crowds, or noisy things. It can also suggest calming someone, not only lowering volume.
常見錯誤
hush — adjective
- hushpositive
- hushercomparative
- hushestsuperlative
1. quiet and unmoving, especially in old-fashioned or poetic description
quiet and unmoving, especially in old-fashioned or poetic description
Under the first snow, the whole valley lay hush until sunrise.
literary pattern: lie + hush
The chapel remained hush after the choir's last note faded.
At dawn, the lake looked hush beneath a band of pale mist.
For one breath, the harbor stood hush before the foghorn blew.
文法句型
lie + hush
hush + noun
用法筆記
This adjective is rare and literary. In ordinary modern English, speakers usually choose quiet or hushed instead.
2. used for money, deals, or similar action meant to keep damaging information from
used for money, deals, or similar action meant to keep damaging information from becoming public
The actor signed a hush agreement before the interview was cancelled.
hush + agreement
Lawyers discussed a hush payment to keep the emails out of court.
Reporters suspected the company had arranged a hush deal with the witness.
The senator denied using hush money to bury the story.
- secret
broader; does not specifically imply stopping publicity
- concealed
describes something hidden, not necessarily paid for silence
- off-the-record
used for information not meant for publication, rather than for payments or deals
文法句型
hush + noun
用法筆記
Usually comes before nouns such as money, payment, agreement, or deal. It implies secrecy meant to stop embarrassing or harmful facts from spreading.