I'm looking for a verb to replace someone uttering "hmm" or "mmh" or any of its variations.
I found this related question (The origin of 'hmm') that hints that "hum" might be a good choice, but I'm wondering if there are others, possibly better ones.
It gets a bit more complicated given the many meanings of "hmm". Depending on context and tone, it can mean "I agree" or "I disagree", "I hear you" (with or without agreement) or "I'm not really listening". And when used in a question, it can also mean "Can you repeat that?"
So far I've got
He hummed in agreement.
He grunted noncommittally.
Can I use either of those to express the negative version?
He hummed/grunted in disagreement.
And what about the question form?
"Hmm?"
