rummy

1 of 4

noun (1)

rum·​my ˈrə-mē 

: any of several card games for two or more players in which each player tries to assemble groups of three or more cards of the same rank or of consecutive sequence in the same suit and to be the first to meld them all see also gin rummy

rummy

2 of 4

noun (2)

plural rummies

: drunkard

rummy

3 of 4

adjective (1)

rummier; rummiest

1

: of, involving, or containing rum

a rummy drink

… rummy lunches go on for hours under the palms.

—Town & Country

She loves a good rum cake, and I got one of the rummiest.

—Ivana Martini

2

: affected by or as if by an excessive intake of rum

At higher altitudes, oxygen also helps boost your energy and keeps you from getting rummy.

—Lou Whittaker and Andrea Gabbard

rummy

4 of 4

adjective (2)

rummier; rummiest

chiefly British, informal

: peculiar, odd

One of the rummy things about Jeeves is that, unless you watch like a hawk, you very seldom see him come into a room.

—P. G. Wodehouse

Synonyms

Noun (2)

• alcoholic
• alkie [slang]
• alky
• boozehound
• boozer
• dipsomaniac
• drinker
• drunk
• drunkard
• inebriate
• juicehead [slang]
• juicer [slang]
• lush
• soak
• soaker
• sot
• souse
• tippler
• toper
• tosspot

Examples of rummy in a Sentence

Noun (2)

most mornings a dazed old rummy sits on the steps with a bottle in a paper bag

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Buy Now on Drizly: $30 Best Barbados White Rum The Real McCoy 3 Year Aged Barbados’ Foursquare distillery, helmed by Richard Seale, produces aged rums that send serious rummies into spasms of joy and frenzied hunts for limited edition bottles. —Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 7 Feb. 2025

Founded by Marc Farrell, a native of Trinidad & Tobago who was Starbucks’ youngest VP before leaving to follow his rummy dreams, this is a blend of sourced column-still rum from the Dominican Republic and Jamaican pot-still rum. —Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 7 Feb. 2025

Picture sweet potato crème brûlée inside the shell of a sweet potato: a rummy, spicy sweet potato caramel, and a topper of meringue. —Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 27 Nov. 2023

Buy Now on Drizly: $30 Best Barbados White Rum The Real McCoy 3 Year Aged Barbados’ Foursquare distillery, helmed by Richard Seale, produces aged rums that send serious rummies into spasms of joy and frenzied hunts for limited edition bottles. —Tony Sachs, Robb Report, 2 June 2023

The high-ester (read: funky) Jamaican rum in the blend is not as intense as some rummies may like, but what’s there makes up for what isn’t. —Tony Sachs, Robb Report, 2 June 2023

This isn't the kind of beach for arcade games on the boardwalk or rummy drinks under a palapa, but rather natural-feeling beaches, independent bookstores and restaurants, and even a lavender farm with views of the Olympic Mountains. —Anne Olivia Bauso, Travel + Leisure, 9 Mar. 2023

Laurie Mandeville-Beaudette lost her 83-year-old father, James Mandeville, a Navy veteran, prankster, and relentlessly competitive card shark who favored rummy and cribbage. —Matt Stout, BostonGlobe.com, 31 Dec. 2022

Christopher drank something fruity and rummy called Al’s Escape and lived to tell the tale. —BostonGlobe.com, 22 July 2022

Adjective

The Giffard Aperitif Syrup mimics the bitter complexity of Campari, while molasses gives the mocktail a rich, rummy quality, according to Este's beverage director Patrick Wasetis. —Nicole Cobler, Axios, 6 Jan. 2025

Open Play Canasta – Monday (weekly) from 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. – Canasta is a card game of the rummy family of games and has received worldwide status as a classic. —Kris Slugg, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Feb. 2024

The aroma is very spicy, rummy, and definitely the best smelling of the six with aromas of cinnamon stick, banana bread, and marzipan. —Em Sauter, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023

One of the most spirited drinks in the city is the rummy Patriot, whose layers of blue (from Curaçao) and yellow (pineapple juice) mirror the colors of the Ukrainian flag. —Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 23 June 2023

Julep recently enclosed its patio, providing a warm spot to sample seasonal cocktails including Apple Butter Old-fashioneds, spiked hot chocolate, mulled wine cider and a very rummy Christmas in the Caribbean. —Robin Soslow, Chron, 5 Jan. 2022

Like its name suggests, Mattel’s Phase 10 is a rummy-type game where players compete to complete 10 varied phases. —Popular Science, 20 Aug. 2020

Race your partner to see who can successfully complete all 10 rounds of this rummy-style card game. —Emily Vanschmus, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 June 2020

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

derivative of rum, rhum, an earlier name for the game (of obscure origin), with a suffix of uncertain identity, perhaps -y entry 4

Noun (2)

rum entry 1 + -y entry 4

Adjective (1)

rum entry 1 + -y entry 1

Adjective (2)

rum entry 2 + -y entry 1

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1910, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1843, in the meaning defined above

Adjective (1)

1742, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective (2)

1828, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing rummy

• gin rummy

Rhymes for rummy

• chummy
• crummy
• dummy
• gummy
• mummy
• ramie
• tummy
• yummy

Kids Definition

rummy

noun

rum·​my

ˈrəm-ē

: a card game in which each player tries to lay down cards in groups of three or more