gum

1 of 4

noun (1)

ˈgəm 

: the tissue that surrounds the necks of teeth and covers the alveolar parts of the jaws

broadly : the alveolar portion of a jaw with its enveloping soft tissues

gum

2 of 4

verb (1)

gummed; gumming

transitive verb

1

: to enlarge gullets of (a saw)

2

: to chew with the gums

gum

3 of 4

noun (2)

1

a

: any of numerous colloidal polysaccharide substances of plant origin that are gelatinous when moist but harden on drying and are salts of complex organic acids compare mucilage sense 1

b

: any of various plant exudates (such as an oleoresin or gum resin)

2

: a substance or deposit resembling a plant gum (as in sticky or adhesive quality)

3

a

: a tree (such as a black gum) that yields gum

b

Australia : eucalyptus

4

: the wood or lumber of a gum

especially : that of the sweet gum

5

: chewing gum

gum

4 of 4

verb (2)

gummed; gumming

transitive verb

: to clog, impede, or damage with or as if with gum

gum up the works

intransitive verb

1

: to exude or form gum

2

: to become gummy

gummer noun

Synonyms

Verb (2)

• block
• choke
• clog
• clot
• congest
• dam
• jam
• obstruct
• occlude
• plug (up)
• stop (up)
• stuff

Examples of gum in a Sentence

Verb (2)

pipes gummed up with cooking grease

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Clean out your daily-use bag Has your daily-use bag become a catch-all for crumpled receipts, gum wrappers, and stray household items? —Shira Gill, TIME, 5 Nov. 2024

Symptoms of scurvy include swollen or bleeding gums, loose teeth, fatigue, bruising, wounds that won’t heal, skin discoloration and infections. —Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Oct. 2024

Verb

His government runs interference for Moscow, gumming up European and trans-Atlantic efforts to combat Russia’s unlawful aggression at every turn. —Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 16 Oct. 2024

Congress also has a role in reforming the many mandates, such as Sarbanes-Oxley, that have gummed up capital formation in public markets. —John Berlau, Forbes, 3 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English gome, from Old English gōma palate; akin to Old High German guomo palate, and perhaps to Greek chaos abyss

Noun (2)

Middle English gomme, from Middle French, from Latin cummi, gummi, from Greek kommi, from Egyptian qmyt

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb (1)

1777, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb (2)

1597, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Phrases Containing gum

• black gum
• blue gum
• bubble gum
• by gum
• chewing gum
• guar gum
• gum arabic
• gum boot
• gum resin
• gum tragacanth
• gum tree
• gum turpentine
• gum up (something)
• gum up the works
• karaya gum
• red gum
• sour gum
• spirit gum
• sweet gum
• up a gum tree
• xanthan gum

Kids Definition

gum

1 of 3 noun

ˈgəm 

: the tissue along the jaws of animals that surrounds the necks of the teeth

gum

2 of 3 noun

1

: any of numerous complex sticky colloidal substances (as gum arabic) that are obtained from plants, harden on drying, and are either soluble in water or swell up in contact with water and that are used in preparing some drugs, for adhesives, as food thickeners, and in inks

also : any of various gummy plant substances including natural resins, rubber, and rubberlike substances

2

: a substance resembling a plant gum (as in stickiness)

3

: a tree that yields a gum

4

: chewing gum

gum

3 of 3 verb

gummed; gumming

1

: to smear, seal, or clog with or as if with gum

2

: to cause not to work properly

gum up the works

Etymology

Noun

Old English gōma "roof of the mouth, palate"

Noun

Middle English gomme "plant gum," from early French gomme (same meaning), from Latin cummi, gummi (same meaning), derived from Egyptian qmyt "plant gum"

Medical Definition

gum

1 of 3 noun

ˈgəm 

: the tissue that surrounds the necks of teeth and covers the alveolar parts of the jaws

broadly : the alveolar portion of a jaw with its enveloping soft tissues

gum

2 of 3 transitive verb

gummed; gumming

: to chew with the gums

gum

3 of 3 noun

1

: any of numerous colloidal polysaccharide substances of plant origin that are gelatinous when moist but harden on drying and are salts of complex organic acids compare mucilage

2

: any of various plant exudates (as a mucilage, oleoresin, or gum resin)