gum

1 of 4

noun (1)

ˈgəm 

: the tissue that surrounds the necks of teeth and covers the alveolar parts of the jaws

broadly : the alveolar portion of a jaw with its enveloping soft tissues

gum

2 of 4

verb (1)

gummed; gumming

transitive verb

1

: to enlarge gullets of (a saw)

2

: to chew with the gums

gum

3 of 4

noun (2)

1

a

: any of numerous colloidal polysaccharide substances of plant origin that are gelatinous when moist but harden on drying and are salts of complex organic acids compare mucilage sense 1

b

: any of various plant exudates (such as an oleoresin or gum resin)

2

: a substance or deposit resembling a plant gum (as in sticky or adhesive quality)

3

a

: a tree (such as a black gum) that yields gum

b

Australia : eucalyptus

4

: the wood or lumber of a gum

especially : that of the sweet gum

5

: chewing gum

gum

4 of 4

verb (2)

gummed; gumming

transitive verb

: to clog, impede, or damage with or as if with gum

gum up the works

intransitive verb

1

: to exude or form gum

2

: to become gummy

gummer noun

Synonyms

Verb (2)

• block
• choke
• clog
• clot
• congest
• dam
• jam
• obstruct
• occlude
• plug (up)
• stop (up)
• stuff

Examples of gum in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

So naturally, fans might assume Rodriguez's gum disease diagnosis was linked to baseball's toxic tradition. —Cara Lynn Shultz, Peoplemag, 22 Sep. 2023

The 78-year-old Nobel laureate, who has been detained for more than two years, has experienced bouts of dizziness and vomiting, and is suffering from a serious gum disease, her son, Kim Aris, who lives in Britain, told Reuters. —Reuters, NBC News, 13 Sep. 2023

The textured surfaces provide gentle abrasion during chewing, effectively scrubbing away debris and reducing the risk of dental problems such as gum disease. —Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 28 Aug. 2023

However, not flossing or brushing your teeth regularly can result in problems like cavities and gum disease associated with halitosis. —Maria Masters, Health, 21 Aug. 2023

The above scenario explains what seems to be a strange relationship between gum disease and heart disease. —Bryant Stamford, The Courier-Journal, 17 Aug. 2023

Those with sensitive teeth and gums may opt for an alcohol-free mouthwash and those who don't want to sacrifice cavity protection can seek formulas with fluoride. —Jacqueline Saguin, Good Housekeeping, 31 Aug. 2023

Mice treated with rapamycin had less gum inflammation and even regrew bone around their teeth. —Karina Zaiets, USA TODAY, 28 Aug. 2023

The medic, Kimberly Thomas, told the sheriff that most gum is sugar free and would not have helped with blood sugar, anyway. —Ashley Killough, CNN, 15 Aug. 2023

Verb

The initial suit was filed in early 2020, and the defense team—representing the state, Governor Greg Gianforte, and several state agencies—filed a number of petitions and motions over the next few years to try and gum up the process. —Molly Taft, The New Republic, 25 Aug. 2023

The writers and actors strikes may be gumming up any dealmaking but the producers say there is talk of a follow-up. —Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Aug. 2023

And, at the moment, Soviet-style spin has gummed up the gears of that churn of accurate information to the point of evading accountability. —Philip Elliott, Time, 28 July 2023

That ties up beds in the hospital, gumming up the usual flow of patients from the emergency department into inpatient beds. —Emily Alpert Reyes, Los Angeles Times, 28 May 2023

Banks have sold off tens of billions of leveraged-buyout debt that was gumming up their lending operations, raising hopes that a critical business on Wall Street is returning to normal. —WSJ, 3 July 2023

In the 1920s, as those newfangled private motor cars gummed up traffic, street-side parking downtown was banned. —Russ Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2023

Along for the ride is her husband (played by Rufus Sewell), a former ambassador himself whose jaunty self-assurance and constant back-channel maneuverings tend to have a way of gumming things up for his more serious-minded spouse. —Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 19 Apr. 2023

The results have caught the cautious attention of the music industry, which sees significant potential to assist artists in creating their music, but is also weary of the major risks to gum up the already murky world of music copyright. —Ethan Millman, Rolling Stone, 11 May 2023

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Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English gome, from Old English gōma palate; akin to Old High German guomo palate, and perhaps to Greek chaos abyss

Noun (2)

Middle English gomme, from Middle French, from Latin cummi, gummi, from Greek kommi, from Egyptian qmyt

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb (1)

1777, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb (2)

1597, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Phrases Containing gum

• black gum
• by gum
• blue gum
• chewing gum
• bubble gum
• guar gum
• gum arabic
• gum tragacanth
• gum up (something)
• gum resin
• gum boot
• gum tree
• gum turpentine
• sour gum
• gum up the works
• spirit gum
• up a gum tree
• sweet gum
• karaya gum
• red gum
• xanthan gum

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• black gum
• by gum
• blue gum
• chewing gum
• bubble gum
• guar gum
• gum arabic
• gum tragacanth
• gum up (something)
• gum resin
• gum boot
• gum tree
• gum turpentine
• sour gum
• gum up the works
• spirit gum
• up a gum tree
• sweet gum
• karaya gum
• red gum
• xanthan gum

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Kids Definition

gum

1 of 3 noun

ˈgəm 

: the tissue along the jaws of animals that surrounds the necks of the teeth

gum

2 of 3 noun

1

: any of numerous complex sticky colloidal substances (as gum arabic) that are obtained from plants, harden on drying, and are either soluble in water or swell up in contact with water and that are used in preparing some drugs, for adhesives, as food thickeners, and in inks

also : any of various gummy plant substances including natural resins, rubber, and rubberlike substances

2

: a substance resembling a plant gum (as in stickiness)

3

: a tree that yields a gum

4

: chewing gum

gum

3 of 3 verb

gummed; gumming

1

: to smear, seal, or clog with or as if with gum

2

: to cause not to work properly

gum up the works

Etymology

Noun

Old English gōma "roof of the mouth, palate"

Noun

Middle English gomme "plant gum," from early French gomme (same meaning), from Latin cummi, gummi (same meaning), derived from Egyptian qmyt "plant gum"

Medical Definition

gum

1 of 3 noun

ˈgəm 

: the tissue that surrounds the necks of teeth and covers the alveolar parts of the jaws

broadly : the alveolar portion of a jaw with its enveloping soft tissues

gum

2 of 3 transitive verb

gummed; gumming

: to chew with the gums

gum

3 of 3 noun

1

: any of numerous colloidal polysaccharide substances of plant origin that are gelatinous when moist but harden on drying and are salts of complex organic acids compare mucilage

2

: any of various plant exudates (as a mucilage, oleoresin, or gum resin)