1
a
: of poor quality or nature
bum advice
b
: not valid or deserved
writing a bum check
c
: not pleasant or enjoyable
a bum trip
2
: affected or disabled by damage or injury
has a bum knee
bummed; bumming
1
: loaf
bummed around the house all day
2
: to spend time unemployed and often wandering
—often used with around
spent a couple of months bumming around Mexico
: to obtain by asking or begging : cadge
bum a cigarette
1
a
: one who sponges (see sponge entry 2 sense 2) off others and avoids work
He's a lazy bum.
b
: one who performs a function poorly
called the umpire a bum
c
: one whose time is devoted to a recreational activity
a beach bum
ski bums
bummed; bumming; bums
US, informal
: disappoint, depress
—usually used with out
The news really bummed me out.
Synonyms
Noun (1)
- backside
- behind
- booty [slang]
- bootie
- bottom
- breech
- buns
- butt
- buttocks
- caboose
- can
- cheeks
- derriere
- derrière
- duff
- fanny
- fundament
- hams
- haunches
- heinie [slang]
- hunkers
- keister [slang]
- keester
- nates
- posterior
- rear
- rear end
- rump
- seat
- tail
- tail end
- tush [slang]
Adjective
- bad
- bargain-basement
- cheap
- cheapjack
- cheesy
- coarse
- common
- crappy [slang]
- cut-rate
- el cheapo
- execrable
- gimcrack
- inferior
- junky
- lousy
- low-grade
- low-rent
- mediocre
- miserable
- poor
- rotten
- rubbishy
- schlock
- schlocky
- shlock
- shlocky
- second-rate
- shoddy
- sleazy
- terrible
- trashy
- trumpery
- wretched
Verb (1)
- chill
- dally
- dawdle
- dillydally
- drone
- footle
- goof (off)
- hack (around)
- hang (around or out)
- hang about [British]
- idle
- kick around
- kick back
- laze
- lazy
- loaf
- loll
- lounge
- veg out
Noun (2)
Examples of bum in a Sentence
Adjective
that was bum advice that you got from that website
Recent Examples on the Web
Colleen Newvine, Fortune, 12 Apr. 2024
Audiences delighted in the personality of Judge Lance Ito and the beach bum mien of witness Kato Kaelin.
—Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
Incidentally, Garner did his own stunts, bum knees and all, and was a racecar driver in real life.
—Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024
When the board of OpenAI staged a bum mutiny last November, throwing out the company’s leadership only to have the bosses return while board members were pressured to resign, something seemed rotten in the state of effective altruism.
—Virginia Heffernan, WIRED, 27 Mar. 2024
South Lake Tahoe, and to a lesser extent its sister city across the border, Stateline, Nev., is shedding its image as a haven for low-roller gamblers to the north and purveyor of low-rent roadside dive motels for ski bums to the south.
—Sacramento Bee, 30 Jan. 2024
Growing up in Ghana, the women around me were mostly shaped the same: wide hips, big chests, and, of course, big bums; to me, this was normal.
—Annie Blay, Allure, 22 Feb. 2024
Not many travelers imagine the Lone Star State as a beach bum’s paradise.
—Pam Leblanc, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Mar. 2024
There are no bums or drug addicts or rapists or people waiting to push you onto the train tracks and kill you.
—Peter Suciu, Forbes, 16 Feb. 2024
Tori Latham, Robb Report, 6 Mar. 2024
As far as what to expect, the first week of March is more problematic on the logistical side of things, and the middle part of the month is more likely to bum you out.
—Steph Koyfman, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Feb. 2024
What could be a discouraging moment turns on a dime into a sing-along as Bridgers and Dacus swoop in over and underneath Baker’s vocal, ending a song about things breaking down with a roaring round about bumming quick cash off a friend.
—Vulture, 4 Feb. 2024
You can be bummed for your loss and happy for somebody else’s win at the same time.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 6 Feb. 2024
Elsewhere in the episode, Carolla joked that he was bummed nobody praised him for riding a unicycle during one of his dances.
—Stephanie Wenger, Peoplemag, 17 Jan. 2024
But the flat iron and the curling iron? For the friend who’s perpetually low on battery
Some people say bumming a mobile charge is akin to bumming a cigarette and not in a good way.
—Leslie Yazel, wsj.com, 14 Dec. 2023
The process isn't over, but as a D.C. resident, I am bummed out about all this.
—Teo Armus, Washington Post, 13 Dec. 2023
Sony bummed up its on-board storage too with 1TB of space instead of 825GB from the last version.
—Rudie Obias, Variety, 27 Nov. 2023
Noun
For Gregory Du Bois, one break from college to be a ski bum in Vail, Colorado, set him on a path of taking mini sabbaticals throughout his corporate IT career.
—Colleen Newvine, Fortune, 12 Apr. 2024
Audiences delighted in the personality of Judge Lance Ito and the beach bum mien of witness Kato Kaelin.
—Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
Incidentally, Garner did his own stunts, bum knees and all, and was a racecar driver in real life.
—Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024
When the board of OpenAI staged a bum mutiny last November, throwing out the company’s leadership only to have the bosses return while board members were pressured to resign, something seemed rotten in the state of effective altruism.
—Virginia Heffernan, WIRED, 27 Mar. 2024
South Lake Tahoe, and to a lesser extent its sister city across the border, Stateline, Nev., is shedding its image as a haven for low-roller gamblers to the north and purveyor of low-rent roadside dive motels for ski bums to the south.
—Sacramento Bee, 30 Jan. 2024
Growing up in Ghana, the women around me were mostly shaped the same: wide hips, big chests, and, of course, big bums; to me, this was normal.
—Annie Blay, Allure, 22 Feb. 2024
Not many travelers imagine the Lone Star State as a beach bum’s paradise.
—Pam Leblanc, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Mar. 2024
There are no bums or drug addicts or rapists or people waiting to push you onto the train tracks and kill you.
—Peter Suciu, Forbes, 16 Feb. 2024
Verb
And while fans can travel to Singapore to see the show, they’re bummed about the lack of local concerts.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 6 Mar. 2024
As far as what to expect, the first week of March is more problematic on the logistical side of things, and the middle part of the month is more likely to bum you out.
—Steph Koyfman, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Feb. 2024
What could be a discouraging moment turns on a dime into a sing-along as Bridgers and Dacus swoop in over and underneath Baker’s vocal, ending a song about things breaking down with a roaring round about bumming quick cash off a friend.
—Vulture, 4 Feb. 2024
You can be bummed for your loss and happy for somebody else’s win at the same time.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 6 Feb. 2024
Elsewhere in the episode, Carolla joked that he was bummed nobody praised him for riding a unicycle during one of his dances.
—Stephanie Wenger, Peoplemag, 17 Jan. 2024
But the flat iron and the curling iron? For the friend who’s perpetually low on battery
Some people say bumming a mobile charge is akin to bumming a cigarette and not in a good way.
—Leslie Yazel, wsj.com, 14 Dec. 2023
The process isn't over, but as a D.C. resident, I am bummed out about all this.
—Teo Armus, Washington Post, 13 Dec. 2023
Sony bummed up its on-board storage too with 1TB of space instead of 825GB from the last version.
—Rudie Obias, Variety, 27 Nov. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bum.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to bum
Dictionary Entries Near bum
Cite this Entry
“Bum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bum. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
bum
1 of 5 nounbum
2 of 5 adjective1
a
: inferior sense 3, worthless
bum advice
b
: not true or deserved
a bum rap
c
: not enjoyable
a bum trip
2
: unable to work properly : disabled
a bum knee
bum
3 of 5 verb
bummed; bumming
1
: to wander around avoiding work
2
: to obtain by asking or begging
bum a ride
bum
4 of 5 noun1
: a person who avoids work and tries to live off others
bum
5 of 5 verb
: sadden
—usually used with out
the news really bummed me out
Etymology
Noun
Middle English bom
Adjective
perhaps from 4bum
Verb
probably from bummer "one who avoids work"
Noun
probably short for bummer "one who avoids work," probably from German Bummler "loafer"
Verb
probably from bummer
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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