gum up (something)
idiom
informal
: to prevent (something) from working or flowing properly
Don't use that paper with the copier; you'll gum it up.
The highway construction has really gummed up traffic.
The bearings are all gummed up with mud.
Examples of gum up (something) in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But Democrats can still use procedural gimmicks to gum up the works.
—
Las Vegas Review-Journal, Twin Cities, 24 Nov. 2024
Deborah Fisher, executive director of the Tennessee Coalition for Open Government, told Forbes that NDAs don’t supersede the state’s public records law, but have been used to gum up access to information.
—Sarah Emerson, Forbes, 11 Oct. 2024
That deception has concrete impacts: Plastic bags that mistakenly end up at recycling centers can gum up machinery, start fires and contaminate bales of paper, which then can’t be recycled.
—Lisa Song, ProPublica, 9 Sep. 2024
Beyond causing poor performance, old gasoline resins can gum up fuel lines and carburetors, wreaking havoc on your engine’s fuel delivery system.
—Kamron Sanders, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for gum up (something) 
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Las Vegas Review-Journal, Twin Cities, 24 Nov. 2024
Deborah Fisher, executive director of the Tennessee Coalition for Open Government, told Forbes that NDAs don’t supersede the state’s public records law, but have been used to gum up access to information.
—Sarah Emerson, Forbes, 11 Oct. 2024
That deception has concrete impacts: Plastic bags that mistakenly end up at recycling centers can gum up machinery, start fires and contaminate bales of paper, which then can’t be recycled.
—Lisa Song, ProPublica, 9 Sep. 2024
Beyond causing poor performance, old gasoline resins can gum up fuel lines and carburetors, wreaking havoc on your engine’s fuel delivery system.
—Kamron Sanders, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for gum up (something)
Dictionary Entries Near gum up (something)
Cite this Entry
“Gum up (something).” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gum%20up%20%28something%29. Accessed 15 Dec. 2024.
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