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
The antibodies can gum up the workings of a marauding germ or mark it for destruction by other parts of the immune system, making antibodies a critical defense against disease in our immune arsenal.
—
Andrew Steele, WIRED, 17 Dec. 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for gum up (something) 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Andrew Steele, WIRED, 17 Dec. 2024
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
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 21 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share