What does mum mean?
Mum is an informal English word with two especially important uses. Most commonly in British, Australian, and other Commonwealth varieties, it means one's mother, often in a familiar or affectionate register. In British English, it can also mean silence, as in the expression 'keep mum', and it may be used as a verb meaning 'remain silent' or as an interjection asking someone to be quiet. These meanings are distinct, but they belong to the same everyday vocabulary: the family sense is affectionate and personal, while the silence sense is more clipped and practical. Mum is not the standard American term for mother; Americans normally say 'mom'. The word is especially useful for understanding British and Commonwealth speech because it combines a familiar kinship label with an informal idiom for secrecy and quiet.
An informal term for one's mother.
"I spoke to my mum about the problem."
Chiefly British, Australian, and other Commonwealth English; familiar and often affectionate.
Silence or the state of being silent.
"The neighbours were told to keep mum."
Chiefly British English, especially in the expression 'keep mum'.
To remain silent or say nothing.
"He wanted to protest, but he mummied."
Chiefly British and informal.
Used to ask someone to stop talking or to be quiet.
"Mum, I'm trying to concentrate."
Informal and chiefly British.
The plural mums can refer to more than one mother, especially when discussing different parents or family members; it is also the ordinary plural form of the noun.
"She has two mums in different parts of the country."
In British English, the same word can mean both mother and silence, making 'mum' a compact example of how a family word can acquire a completely unrelated meaning.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does mum come from?
The family word is an English shortening of mother, with the ending of mother reduced in a way characteristic of nursery and child-directed speech. Related Germanic forms, including German Mutter, Dutch moeder, Swedish moder, and Norwegian mor, continue the inherited Proto-Germanic word for mother. The separate British sense meaning silence is especially established in the idiom 'keep mum'; its precise historical development is less certain than the family-word origin.
Related word forms
How mum is actually used
As a term for a mother, mum is informal, familiar, and often affectionate; it is particularly associated with British, Australian, New Zealand, and South African English. Its meaning of silence and its use as a verb are chiefly British. As an interjection, 'mum' is a direct request for quiet and is more familiar than 'be quiet'.
Easily confused with mum
Mom is the usual American English term for one's mother, whereas mum is chiefly British, Australian, and other Commonwealth English.