mum
1 Americanadjective
interjection
idioms
noun
noun
noun
noun
adjective
noun
noun
verb
noun
Usage
What does mum mean? Mum is an adjective that means keeping quiet. It can also be used by itself to mean Be quiet!This sense of mum is especially used in the expressions keep mum and mum’s the word. In the U.K. and other places, mum is used as a word for mom or madam. It’s also commonly used as a short way of saying chrysanthemum, a type of flower.Example: Mum’s keeping mum—I can’t get a word out of her!
Etymology
Origin of mum1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English momme; imitative
Origin of mum2
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English mommen, verb use of mum 1; compare Middle Dutch mommen ”to act the mummer's part”
Origin of mum3
First recorded in 1890–95; shortened form
Origin of mum4
First recorded in 1815–25; nursery word; mom
Origin of mum5
First recorded in 1630–40; from German Mumme, said to have been named after Christian Mumme, the brewer who made it
Origin of mum6
Variant of ma'am
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
His dad stayed with him during the nights, while his mum was with him in the day.
From BBC
A mum who set up an anti-bullying campaign following her daughter's death has pulled out of a political race after her son was verbally abused.
From BBC
For once, nobody rambled, nobody went off script, and almost everyone remembered to thank their mum.
From BBC
Hayden, from Cardiff, said she did briefly consider wearing her mum's old wedding dress but decided against it because it was no longer in fashion.
From BBC
Her growing profile has South Korea’s spy agency believing she is increasingly positioned to succeed her father, although North Korea has stayed mum on the succession topic.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
