gum up (something)
idiom
informal
: to prevent (something) from working or flowing properly
Don't use that paper with the copier; you'll gum it up.
The highway construction has really gummed up traffic.
The bearings are all gummed up with mud.
Examples of gum up (something) in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In April, the FTC voted 3-2 to ban the agreements, with commissioners in the majority pointing to research that shows such covenants suppress wages, stifle entrepreneurship and gum up labor markets.
—
Julian Mark, Washington Post, 3 July 2024
In one scheme recently exposed by the Federal Trade Commission, pharmaceutical companies improperly listed patents on a federal registry to gum up the works and delay generic competition, enabling them to continue charging sky-high prices for medicines people need.
—Dick Durbin and Lina M. Khan, STAT, 2 July 2024
Even after Obama was reelected in 2012, Republicans retained control of the House and had enough clout to gum up Obama’s agenda.
—Colbert I. King, Washington Post, 21 June 2024
Many of the mechanisms of Indian politics, including its protections for political dissent and independent judiciary, gum up the works of Modi’s ideological revolution.
—Zack Beauchamp, Vox, 22 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for gum up (something) 
Julian Mark, Washington Post, 3 July 2024
In one scheme recently exposed by the Federal Trade Commission, pharmaceutical companies improperly listed patents on a federal registry to gum up the works and delay generic competition, enabling them to continue charging sky-high prices for medicines people need.
—Dick Durbin and Lina M. Khan, STAT, 2 July 2024
Even after Obama was reelected in 2012, Republicans retained control of the House and had enough clout to gum up Obama’s agenda.
—Colbert I. King, Washington Post, 21 June 2024
Many of the mechanisms of Indian politics, including its protections for political dissent and independent judiciary, gum up the works of Modi’s ideological revolution.
—Zack Beauchamp, Vox, 22 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for gum up (something)
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gum up (something).' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Gum up (something).” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gum%20up%20%28something%29. Accessed 27 Jul. 2024.
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