hmm

hmm
interjection
;;m  ;h;m  often with a prolonged syllabic m
variants or less commonly hm or hmmm
1
—used to express the action or process of thinking
Hmm. Maybe we should just skip dinner and go straight to the French mousse cake?
—Sunset
Let's get one question out of the way immediately … : does Spike Lee like to cause trouble? "Hmm," he says, sighing. "Yeah, I guess you could call me an instigator."
—Patrick Demarchelier
As an undergraduate, I settled on history, and diplomatic history, because I had a really cool professor. I was thinking, Hmmm, I wonder how you get to be a diplomat?
—Julia Wilkinson
2
—used to emphasize that one has asked a question and is awaiting an answer
"So …, today we have revenge, today we knocked you out of the World Cup. What do you say? Hmm?"
—Ron McKay
But tell Santa the truth now, what's the most important part to a little boy or girl? The box? The wrapping paper? Or the game that comes in the box? Hmmm? It's the present, of course.
—Mark Newman
3
—used to request repetition or clarification of something just said
"So tell me," I said. "To what do I owe the pleasure?" "Hmm?" "What brings you here?"
—David Housewright

Examples of hmm in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
My reputation is loud and annoying – hmm.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Jan. 2026
The two-person-max Cage of Death — a thrill in Australia’s croc-centric city of Darwin — also encased my husband, who was gung-ho to do this and hmm, might be the more desirable target meat-wise, sparing me.
—Norma Meyer, Oc Register, 26 Nov. 2025

Word History
First Known Use
1854, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of hmm was in 1854
See more words from the same year