hush

To make someone stop talking or making noise.

• She hushed the baby gently.
• He raised a hand to hush the crowd.
• Please hush the children while I make this call.

Similar words: silence, quiet

Common phrases: hush someone, hush a baby, hush the crowd

To stop making noise or become quieter.

• The crowd hushed when she appeared.
• Their voices hushed as the door opened.
• Even the birds seemed to hush at sunset.

Similar words: fall silent, quiet down

Common phrases: hush suddenly, hush into silence

To calm a feeling of worry, fear, or pain.

• Her kind words hushed his fears.
• The familiar music hushed her troubled heart.
• He hoped the news would hush their worries.

Similar words: soothe, allay, calm

Common phrases: hush someone’s fears, hush the pain

To flow or move quickly and strongly.

• Water hushed down the rocky slope.
• The stream hushed past the old mill.
• After the storm, muddy water hushed through the valley.

Similar words: gush, rush

Common phrases: hush down something, hush over rocks

A period of quiet, especially when noise has just stopped.

• A hush fell over the crowd.
• Her loud laugh broke the hush.
• We waited in an expectant hush for the result.

How to use it: a hush falls over something (A hush fell over the room when the music stopped.)

Similar words: silence, stillness

Opposites: noise

Common phrases: a sudden hush, an expectant hush, hush fell

Water used to wash soil away and uncover rock or metal-bearing material.

• The hush washed soil off the rock.
• Miners released the hush from a small reservoir.
• The channel carried the hush toward the exposed ore.

Common phrases: release the hush, hush water

An area in a mine where flowing water removes soil or rock to reach metal-bearing material.

• An old hush crosses the hillside.
• The miners searched the hush for more ore.
• Water had cut a deep hush below the reservoir.

Common phrases: an old hush, a mining hush