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buh

buh

1 9.9
A short meaningless vocal sound singers or speakers use to keep the rhythm
  • noun
  • /bʌ/
  • Informal
translation icon : muletilla
  • In rhythmic speech, he often used buh as a playful filler while telling his story.

Examples

  • When he couldn't think of the right lyrics, he just added a few buh sounds to the song.

  • The singer often uses buh in her performances.

  • The children sang a playful tune, adding a buh between each verse.

  • During the rehearsal, the choir used buh to keep the rhythm steady.

  • He improvised a melody with random buh sounds to fill the gaps.

  • She sang a tune and added a few buhs for effect.

  • The singer filled the silence with occasional buh notes during her performance.

Synonyms

bomp
vsbuh
  • Archaic
3 9.9

A short nonsense sound made with the voice used as a musical rhythm

is more general used across singing and rhythmic speech not limited to genres
filler
vsbuh
  • Informal
2 3.4

A sound or word people use when they pause to think

is narrower limited to singing or rhythmic speech rather than general speech
doodah
vsbuh
  • Informal
9.7

A cheerful, meaningless sound people sing or say for fun

is more neutral and used to fill rhythm rather than cheer

Antonyms

6.1

Full of a hidden message often shown by a look or pause

Surface Forms

buh singular
buhs plural

Etymology

In singing and rhythm, buh works like a simple nonsense syllable such as la or dum, used to fill the beat or melody without meaning. So, singers use buh to keep the tune moving and to fill gaps in a song.