chum for
idiom
US
: to throw pieces of fish off a boat as bait to attract (other fish)
They were chumming for sharks.
Examples of chum for in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Consider the absurdity of carving a single oozing arancini into three or four pieces, doling out two measly salad leaves each to a foursome, or hacking a pristine fish fillet into chum for five.
—
Maggie Hennessy, Bon Appetit Magazine, 18 Sep. 2025
Little surprise, then, that it’s become chum for online content creators.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 25 Feb. 2025
Some anglers like to pre-bait, or chum for carp by tossing out a spread of food to attract the fish.
—Jim Gronaw, Baltimore Sun, 23 July 2023
What’s more, higher temperatures also mean more beach-goers and bathers, providing more potential chum for sharks.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 7 July 2023
Everything from her tweets to her board positions was twisted into chum for the culture wars.
—Makena Kelly, The Verge, 23 June 2023
But while communities along the Yukon are highly dependent on the chum for subsistence and commercial harvests, other river systems like the Kuskokwim and those feeding Bristol Bay saw big sockeye runs that have helped households backfill their needs.
—Zachariah Hughes, Anchorage Daily News, 4 Sep. 2021
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.
Maggie Hennessy, Bon Appetit Magazine, 18 Sep. 2025
Little surprise, then, that it’s become chum for online content creators.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 25 Feb. 2025
Some anglers like to pre-bait, or chum for carp by tossing out a spread of food to attract the fish.
—Jim Gronaw, Baltimore Sun, 23 July 2023
What’s more, higher temperatures also mean more beach-goers and bathers, providing more potential chum for sharks.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 7 July 2023
Everything from her tweets to her board positions was twisted into chum for the culture wars.
—Makena Kelly, The Verge, 23 June 2023
But while communities along the Yukon are highly dependent on the chum for subsistence and commercial harvests, other river systems like the Kuskokwim and those feeding Bristol Bay saw big sockeye runs that have helped households backfill their needs.
—Zachariah Hughes, Anchorage Daily News, 4 Sep. 2021
Cite this Entry
“Chum for.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chum%20for. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share