🇬🇧 Mum meaning: English Vocabulary Flash Card

If you are mum, you stay completely quiet and do not tell anyone what you know, even if they really want to find out. Being mum means keeping a secret locked in your mouth like a treasure in a safe. You might be mum when someone asks what their birthday present is, or when a teacher is guessing a surprise. You know the answer, but you choose not to say it.

We were completely mum about the surprise breakfast in bed, except for the smoke alarm that spoiled everything.

The baby knew where the TV remote was but stayed mum, while chewing on his foot like a tiny evil genius.

When Mom asked who painted the fridge green, my brother was mum, but the paintbrush stuck in his hair did all the talking.

I promised to stay mum about my brother’s crush, so when Mom asked, I just drank my milk very loudly instead.

Spies in stories are trained to stay mum under pressure, which is lucky, because it’s hard to sound cool when you shout, “I’ll talk for three cookies!”

At the table, Anna kept mum when asked about the broken vase. Her hands were mum, her lips mum, her eyes mum with a small secret. Everyone waited; then her brother laughed and hugged her when she finally went mum no more, and the room sighed with relief. Grandma stayed mum, smiling.

This word is at the C2 level, which means it represents the highest mastery of English. It’s often used in specialized or highly formal contexts and helps you communicate with precision and subtlety, much like a native speaker.

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