Definition of glom
- glommed on to her ideas
Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP
the manager glommed the shoplifter just as she was about to bolt out of the store
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'glom.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
It's a classic case of glomming: Americans seized on glaum (a term from Scots dialect that basically means "grab") and appropriated it as our own, changing it to glom in the process. Glom first meant "steal" (as in the purse-snatching, robber kind of stealing), but over time that meaning got stretched. Today, glom often figuratively extends that original "steal" sense. A busy professional might glom a weekend getaway, for example. Glom also appears frequently in the phrase glom on to, which can mean "to appropriate for one's own use" ("glom on to another's idea"); "to grab hold of" ("glom on to the last cookie"); or "to latch on to" ("glom on to an opinion" or "glom on to an influential friend").
First Known Use: 1907
in the meaning defined at sense 1
See Words from the same yearbag, capture, catch, collar, cop [slang], corral, get, grab, grapple, hook, land, nab, nail, net, rap, seize, snag, snap (up), snare, snatch, trap;
miss;
clasp, clutch, fasten (on), fist, grasp, grip, hold, latch (on or onto), secure;
take hold (of);
See words that rhyme with glom Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for glom
What made you want to look up glom? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Odd Habits and Quirks Quiz
Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
TAKE THE QUIZTest Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZ