mum's the word

mum

M m

Definitions of mum's the word words

adjective mum's the word silent; not saying a word: to keep mum. 1
idioms mum's the word mum's the word, do not reveal what you know (about something); keep silent: Mum's the word, or the surprise party won't be a surprise. 1
noun mum's the word silence or secrecy is to be observed 0
noun mum's the word say nothing 0

before 1350

One of the 20% oldest English words

1350-1400; Middle English momme; imitative

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 91% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.

Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".