hush
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a sudden period of silence, especially when people are waiting or after a loud noise.
n.a state of sudden or expectant silence, often following a period of noise or preceding a significant event.
Simple“A sudden hush fell over the crowd as the singer walked onto the stage.”
In context“An expectant hush descended upon the courtroom as the jury foreman stood up to deliver the final verdict.”
- 02 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.
Simple“She tried to hush the crying baby by rocking him gently.”
In context“The librarian hushed the rowdy students with a stern look, restoring the quiet atmosphere of the reading room.”
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to stop talking or making noise.
v.to become silent or quiet; often used as an imperative to command silence.
Simple“The audience hushed as the lights in the theatre began to dim.”
In context“The wind suddenly hushed, leaving the forest in an eerie and absolute stillness before the storm broke.”
Synonymsquietensettle - 04 C2 Proficiency
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.
Simple“In the past, miners would hush the hillside to reveal the lead underneath.”
In context“Archaeological evidence suggests that the Romans used hushing techniques to expose gold-bearing quartz veins in the hillsides of Wales.”
UsagePrimarily used in historical accounts of lead or tin mining.
- 05 C2 Proficiency
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.
Simple“The deep hush in the valley is a scar left by ancient mining activities.”
In context“The landscape is dotted with hushes, man-made gullies where water once scoured the earth to reveal the mineral wealth below.”
From Middle English huschen (“to hush”) (as past participle husht (“silent; hushed”) and interjection husht (“quiet!”)). Cognate with Low German huschen, hüssen (“to hush; lull”), German huschen (“to shoo; scurry”), Danish hysse (“to hush”), and maybe Albanian hesht.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.