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Glite Dictionary
🤐 To make quiet 🤫 To hide the truth
to hush up

to hush up

2 5.0
Make someone stop talking and be quiet
  • phrasal verb
  • /hʌʃ ʌp/
  • Informal
translation icon : callar
  • Please hush up; we are trying to concentrate on the test.
  • tell them to hush up
  • just hush up

Examples

Synonyms

to shut up
vsto hush up
  • Offensive
∞ 4.1

Tell someone to be quiet in a rude or angry way

is similar but slightly less crude or abrupt
to knock it off
vsto hush up
  • Informal
321 8.1

Tell someone to stop doing something annoying

specifically targets stopping speech rather than any action
to be quiet
vsto hush up
231 1.0

To stop making noise or talking

is more of an active command to make someone become quiet
to silence
vsto hush up
169 3.5

To stop someone from speaking or making noise

is less formal and more conversational than this broader enforcement term
to keep quiet
vsto hush up
90 2.5

To say nothing or not tell a secret

is more about forcing immediate silence rather than withholding information
to quiet
vsto hush up
68 3.2

To make someone or something calm and less noisy

is specifically an instruction aimed at stopping someone's speech
to quiet down
vsto hush up
  • Informal
42 2.0

Make people or things less noisy and less active

is an on-the-spot command to make someone stop talking now
to pipe down
vsto hush up
  • Informal
35 7.1

To become quiet or tell someone to stop making noise

is similar but can be firmer and less casual
to hush
vsto hush up
33 3.4

Make a person or thing quiet so others stop making noise

is more of a direct command to stop talking immediately
to shush
vsto hush up
  • Informal
31 5.5

Tell someone to be quiet by making a soft 'shh' sound

is generally firmer and more likely to insist on silence
to still
vsto hush up
12 4.2

To make quiet or calm

focuses on immediate silencing of speech rather than general calming
to close up
vsto hush up
10 4.8

To stop talking and say nothing

is usually a short command intended to produce immediate silence
to put a sock in it
vsto hush up
  • UK
9 9.1

Tell someone to be quiet

is comparable but more neutral in register and tone
to shut one's mouth
vsto hush up
  • Informal
4 4.4

To stop talking to keep a secret or when told to be quiet

is more generally about quieting someone without secrecy focus
to button up
vsto hush up
  • Informal
3 7.1

To stop talking suddenly and not answer questions

is a purposeful act to make someone stop talking rather than an effect
to quieten
vsto hush up
3 4.6

Make someone or something less noisy and calmer

targets stopping talking directly rather than general soothing
to bring up short
vsto hush up
1 7.4

Stop someone suddenly, often during speech or action

is a deliberate attempt to quiet someone rather than a sudden interruption
to shut one's gob
vsto hush up
  • UK
9.9

To tell someone rudely to be quiet

is equally direct but less marked as regional slang
to belt up
vsto hush up
  • Offensive
9.2

To tell someone to stop talking and be quiet

is direct but not necessarily tied to British informal tone
to shut one's assmouth
vsto hush up
  • Offensive
9.9

Tells someone to be quiet in a rude way

is direct too but less vulgar and less aggressive
to button one's lip
vsto hush up
  • Informal
7.2

To keep quiet on purpose and not tell others

is an instruction to make someone stop talking now rather than choose silence
to wheesht
vsto hush up
  • UK
9.9

To tell someone to be quiet in a soft voice

is more general and slightly firmer than this regional gentle form
to whush
vsto hush up
  • UK
9.9

To tell someone quietly to stop talking

is more of a spoken order rather than a quiet sound or gesture
to shh
vsto hush up
  • Informal
8.3

Tell someone to be quiet by making a soft sound with your mouth

is a clearer verbal command that aims for immediate silence
to keep (someone's) voice down
vsto hush up
  • Informal
3.4

Speak quietly so you do not disturb others

is about stopping speech entirely rather than lowering volume
to burke
vsto hush up
  • Archaic
9.9

To quietly stop something from being talked about

is a direct verbal instruction to stop someone speaking openly

Antonyms

to speak up
43 2.0

Talk more loudly so people can hear you

How Quiet

to shut up
  • Offensive
∞ 4.1
to silence
169 3.5
to hush up
  • Informal
2 5.0
to hush
33 3.4
to shush
  • Informal
31 5.5

Surface Forms

hush up infinitive
hushed up past
hushed up past participle
hushing up present participle
hushes up third person singular

Morphology

hush + up

The verb 'hush' already means 'to make quiet', and the particle 'up' here functions as an intensifier/particle marking completion, so the combined meaning 'to make someone stop talking or become quiet' is directly derivable from the parts. This verb + particle pattern is a common, compositional English construction that a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily understand.

Etymology

Hush up comes from the simple act of saying 'hush' or putting a finger to your lips to make people stop talking, with 'up' making the order stronger. So it means 'to make someone be quiet'.