um

interjection

a prolonged
m How to pronounce um (audio)
sound
əm
—used to indicate hesitation
well, um, I don't know

Examples of um in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
These, um, freethinkers were unintentionally encouraged by what eventually became the airport's art program. — Kat Chen, Condé Nast Traveler, 14 Oct. 2026 Crosby can… um… provide funny reaction shots when henchmen get killed! — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 8 Oct. 2026 Suas palavras são um lembrete para sermos humildes e ouvir a Deus com atenção, para que Ele guie nossos passos em tudo o que realizarmos, mesmo quando, de início, o motivo não nos pareça claro. — The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 26 Aug. 2026 Just like when personal computers came out, but there’s a fantastic book by um, George Lakoff and Rafael Núñez about math and where ideas in math come from, via metaphors. — Quanta Magazine, 20 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for um

Word History

First Known Use

1604, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of um was in 1604

Phrases Containing um

Rhymes for um

See All Rhymes for um

Browse Nearby Words

Ulysses
um
uma
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Um.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/um. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

um

interjection
a prolonged
m How to pronounce um (audio)
sound, əm
—used to express hesitation
well, um, I don't know
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All