gum up the works

phrase

informal

: to prevent something from working or flowing properly

Some dirt got inside the gears and gummed up the works.

The new regulations have really gummed up the works in the office.

Examples of gum up the works in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

And the prevailing feeling among some at WBD clearly is a hope that the state attorneys general lawsuit will gum up the works long enough to cause the deal to fall apart. — Todd Spangler, Variety, 27 July 2026

The problem with that is, while Democrats have sufficient numbers in Washington to gum up the works at the federal level, Maryland Republicans face Democratic supermajorities in both the State Senate and House of Delegates. — Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 9 Apr. 2026

Scott used comedy to grease the narrative wheels; here, the laughs tend to gum up the works. — Hannah Jocelyn, New Yorker, 19 Mar. 2026

Conversely, the opponents of a president only need to gum up the works for one year, and then the calendar takes over and does it for them. — Susan Shelley, Oc Register, 4 Jan. 2026

Rhymes for gum up the works

• artworks
• breastworks
• brickworks
• earthworks
• fireworks
• frameworks
• gasworks
• glassworks
• headworks
• networks
• outworks
• steelworks