hush

B2 · Upper Intermediate

v. to make someone or something become quiet.

v. to cause a person or group to become silent; to suppress noise or speech.

“She tried to hush the crying baby by rocking him gently.”

“The librarian hushed the rowdy students with a stern look, restoring the quiet atmosphere of the reading room.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate

v. to stop talking or making noise.

v. to become silent or quiet; often used as an imperative to command silence.

“The audience hushed as the lights in the theatre began to dim.”

“The wind suddenly hushed, leaving the forest in an eerie and absolute stillness before the storm broke.”

C2 · Proficiency Science Technical · Archaic

v. to use a rush of water to wash away soil and find metal or ore in the ground.

v. to use a sudden release of dammed water to remove overburden and expose mineral veins.

“In the past, miners would hush the hillside to reveal the lead underneath.”

“Archaeological evidence suggests that the Romans used hushing techniques to expose gold-bearing quartz veins in the hillsides of Wales.”

C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Science Technical · Archaic

n. a place in a mine where water was used to wash away dirt and find ore.

n. a ravine or gully created by the artificial rush of water used in hydraulic mining.

“The deep hush in the valley is a scar left by ancient mining activities.”

“The landscape is dotted with hushes, man-made gullies where water once scoured the earth to reveal the mineral wealth below.”