chum

1 of 2

verb (1)

chummed; chumming

intransitive verb

1

: to room together

2

a

: to be a close friend

b

: to show affable friendliness

c

: to spend time with someone as a friend

—usually used with around

In the early '50s he entered Cornell University but quit after two years and lit out for Greenwich Village, where he studied drama and chummed around with James Dean.

—William Plummer et al.

chum

2 of 2

verb (2)

chummed; chumming

transitive verb

: to attract with chum

intransitive verb

: to throw chum overboard to attract fish

Synonyms of chum

Verb (1)

• associate
• travel
• run
• bond
• mix
• join
• connect
• friend
• befriend
• mingle
• company
• collaborate

Examples of chum in a Sentence

Verb (1)

they always chum around together

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

We were taken diving without a cage in water that had been chummed with blood to attract sharks. —Michael H Gavshon, CBS News, 12 Apr. 2026

Anglers can also chum with a variety of frozen baits. —Steve Waters, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2026

So does this mean that chumming or baiting does not impact the other animals who share these waters with sharks? —Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 12 Mar. 2026

The Arkestra said to chum along, the party was only starting. —Literary Hub, 13 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

verbal derivative of chum entry 1

Verb (2)

verbal derivative of chum entry 3

First Known Use

Verb (1)

1730, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (2)

1857, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Phrases Containing chum

• chum for
• chum salmon
• chum up

Rhymes for chum

• bum
• come
• crum
• cum
• drum
• dum
• dumb
• from
• frum
• glum
• gum
• hum

Kids Definition

chum

1 of 2 noun

ˈchəm 

: a close friend

chum

2 of 2 verb

chummed; chumming

: to be chums

Etymology

Noun

probably a shortened and altered form of earlier chamber fellow "roommate"