Synonyms

shush

American

[shuhsh, shoosh] / ʃʌʃ, ʃʊʃ /

interjection

hush (used as a command to be quiet or silent).

verb (used with object)

to order (someone or something) to be silent; hush.

shush British

/ ʃʊʃ /

interjection

be quiet! hush!

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

to silence or calm (someone) by or as if by saying "shush"

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

shusher noun

Etymology

Origin of shush

First recorded in 1920–25; imitative

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 friends groaned and tried to shush him; he waved them off.

From Los Angeles Times

In a loud voice, he said, “What are you shushing me for?”

From Literature

I tried to rock him and shush him, but he was awkward in my arms and he only cried louder.

From Literature

Saber-rattling trumpet and timpani intrude and are shushed away as worthless.

From Los Angeles Times

The sea shushed in and out through a hole in the reef, but only the biggest waves could break over the top.

From Literature

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023