huff /hʌ f/ (huffs , huffing , huffed )
1 VERB If you huff , you indicate that you are annoyed or offended about something, usually by the way that you say something. □ [V with quote] 'This', he huffed, 'was discrimination.'
2 PHRASE If someone is in a huff , they are behaving in a bad-tempered way because they are annoyed and offended. [INFORMAL ] □ After the row in a pub he drove off in a huff.
huffy /hʌ fi/ (huffier , huffiest ) ADJ Someone who is huffy is obviously annoyed or offended about something. [INFORMAL ] □ I, in my turn, became embarrassed and huffy and told her to take the money back. ● huffi|ly /hʌ f I li/ ADV [ADV with v] □ 'I appreciate your concern for my feelings,' Bess said huffily, 'but I'm a big girl now'.
hug /hʌ g/ (hugs , hugging , hugged )
1 VERB When you hug someone, you put your arms around them and hold them tightly, for example because you like them or are pleased to see them. You can also say that two people hug each other or that they hug . □ [V n] She had hugged him exuberantly and invited him to dinner the next day. □ [V ] We hugged and kissed. ● N‑COUNT Hug is also a noun. □ Syvil leapt out of the back seat, and gave him a hug.
2 VERB If you hug something, you hold it close to your body with your arms tightly round it. □ [V n] Shaerl trudged toward them, hugging a large box. □ [V n adv/prep] She hugged her legs tight to her chest.
3 VERB Something that hugs the ground or a stretch of land or water stays very close to it. [WRITTEN ] □ [V n] The road hugs the coast for hundreds of miles.
4 → see also bear hug
huge ◆◆◇ /hjuː dʒ/ (huger , hugest )
1 ADJ Something or someone that is huge is extremely large in size. □ …a tiny little woman with huge black glasses.
2 ADJ Something that is huge is extremely large in amount or degree. □ I have a huge number of ties because I never throw them away. ● huge|ly ADV [ADV adj, ADV with v] □ In summer this hotel is a hugely popular venue for wedding receptions.
3 ADJ Something that is huge exists or happens on a very large scale, and involves a lot of different people or things. □ Another team is looking at the huge problem of debts between companies.
-hugging /-hʌg I ŋ/ COMB [usu ADJ n] -hugging combines with nouns to form adjectives which describe an item of clothing that fits very tightly and clearly reveals the shape of your body. □ …a figure-hugging dress.
huh /hʌ , hɜː / Huh is used in writing to represent a noise that people make at the end of a question if they want someone to agree with them or if they want someone to repeat what they have just said. Huh is also used to show that someone is surprised or not impressed. □ Can we just get on with it, huh?
hulk /hʌ lk/ (hulks )
1 N‑COUNT The hulk of something is the large, ruined remains of it. □ [+ of ] …the ruined hulk of the old church tower.
2 N‑COUNT You use hulk to describe anything which is large and seems threatening to you. □ I followed his big hulk into the house.
hulk|ing /hʌ lk I ŋ/ ADJ [ADJ n] You use hulking to describe a person or object that is extremely large, heavy, or slow-moving, especially when they seem threatening in some way. □ When I woke up there was a hulking figure staring down at me.
hull /hʌ l/ (hulls ) N‑COUNT The hull of a boat or tank is the main body of it. □ The hull had suffered extensive damage to the starboard side.
hul|la|ba|loo /hʌ ləbəluː / N‑SING A hullabaloo is a lot of noise or fuss made by people who are angry or excited about something. [INFORMAL ] □ I was scared by the hullabaloo over my arrival.
hul|lo /hʌloʊ / → see hello
hum /hʌ m/ (hums , humming , hummed )
1 VERB If something hums , it makes a low continuous noise. □ [V ] The birds sang, the bees hummed. □ [V -ing] There was a low humming sound in the sky. ● N‑SING Hum is also a noun. □ …the hum of traffic.
2 VERB When you hum a tune, you sing it with your lips closed. □ [V n] She was humming a merry little tune. □ [V ] He hummed to himself as he opened the trunk.
3 VERB If you say that a place hums , you mean that it is full of activity. □ [V ] The place is really beginning to hum. □ [V + with ] On Saturday morning, the town hums with activity and life.
4 CONVENTION Hum is sometimes used to represent the sound people make when they are not sure what to say. □ Hum, I am sorry but I thought you were French.
5 → see also ho hum
6 hum and haw → see haw
hu|man ◆◆◆ /hjuː mən/ (humans )
1 ADJ [ADJ n] Human means relating to or concerning people. □ …the human body. □ …human history.
2 N‑COUNT You can refer to people as humans , especially when you are comparing them with animals or machines. □ Its rate of growth was fast–much more like that of an ape than that of a human.
3 ADJ Human feelings, weaknesses, or errors are ones that are typical of humans rather than machines. □ …an ever-growing risk of human error. SYNONYMS human ADJ 3