Synonyms of bum

bum 1 of 4

adjective

as in poor

of low quality

that was bum advice that you got from that website

Synonyms & Similar Words

• poor
• cheap
• terrible
• rotten
• bad
• inferior
• coarse
• worthless
• miserable
• wretched
• common
• useless
• crappy
• low-rent
• mediocre
• lousy
• low-grade
• junky
• sleazy
• rubbishy
• trashy
• shoddy
• cheesy
• fake
• second-rate
• counterfeit
• execrable
• cheapjack
• gimcrack
• schlock
• trumpery
• cut-rate
• bargain-basement
• valueless
• indifferent
• tawdry
• second-class
• shabby
• seedy
• lackluster
• swank
• gaudy
• showy
• flashy
• garish
• tacky
• meretricious
• el cheapo
• glitzy
• kitsch
• kitschy
• ostentatious
• splashy
• sham
• phony
• brummagem
• ultracheap
• supercheap

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• good
• fine
• superior
• excellent
• first-class
• high-grade
• handsome
• elegant
• first-rate
• tasteful
• top-notch
• polished
• refined
• handcrafted

bum

2 of 4

noun (1)

ˈbəm 

as in cheeks

the part of the body upon which someone sits

I decided to get off my bum and get some exercise

Synonyms & Similar Words

• cheeks
• seat
• tail
• rump
• butt
• bottom
• fanny
• backside
• buttocks
• posterior
• rear
• behind
• buns
• tush
• booty
• duff
• caboose
• haunches
• rear end
• heinie
• derriere
• tail end
• hams
• nates
• breech
• fundament
• keister
• beam
• can
• stern
• hunkers
• moon

bum

3 of 4

noun (2)

1

as in hobo

an idle worthless person

if you expect an allowance, you have to do some chores and stop being such a bum

Synonyms & Similar Words

• hobo
• beggar
• derelict
• no-account
• good-for-nothing
• dodger
• do-nothing
• slacker
• vagrant
• tramp
• no-good
• no-goodnik
• ne'er-do-well
• drifter
• transient
• panhandler
• vagabond
• urchin
• waif
• shirker
• slouch
• roamer
• loafer
• pauper
• idler
• ragamuffin
• slug
• sundowner
• lazybones
• indigent
• down-and-out
• sluggard
• goldbrick
• drone
• gamine

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• success
• winner

2

as in beggar

a homeless wanderer who may beg or steal for a living

I feel sorry for bums and occasionally give them money

Synonyms & Similar Words

• beggar
• hobo
• tramp
• vagabond
• transient
• vagrant
• swaggie
• swagman
• derelict
• sundowner
• drifter
• bindle stiff
• bummer
• dodger
• panhandler
• mendicant
• roamer
• stiff
• urchin
• shirker
• waif
• slacker
• ragamuffin
• malingerer
• gamine

bum

4 of 4

verb

as in to lazy

to spend time doing nothing

spent most of the summer just bumming around the house

Synonyms & Similar Words

• lazy
• lounge
• loaf
• idle
• rest
• laze
• kick back
• relax
• chill
• veg out
• kill time
• goof (off)
• loll
• play
• stroll
• poke
• dawdle
• hang (around or out)
• hack (around)
• muck
• hang about
• monkey
• drone
• dillydally
• mess
• footle
• piddle
• kick around
• fool
• twiddle one's thumbs
• linger
• dally
• trifle
• estivate
• fiddle (around)
• doze
• saunter
• loiter
• potter (around)
• swan
• hibernate
• lag
• putter (around)
• amble
• mosey
• goldbrick
• malinger
• truant
• tarry
• furlough

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• slave
• work
• plow
• sweat
• hustle
• plug
• labor
• grind
• toil
• plod
• hump
• peg
• apply
• grub
• buckle (down)
• drudge
• travail
• put out
• exert
• moil

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of bum

Noun

Cocktail chatter on the Lido held that this was a more minor work than anticipated, and many of those positive reviews nevertheless included a few bum notes. — Nate Jones, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2026

Kennedy’s Albany is a vital, violent place, a hothouse of gangsters, pool hustlers, bums, crooked politicians, and showgirls. — Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 1 Sep. 2026

Verb

Yet with these new songs out in the world, the three musicians don’t seem particularly bummed not to have their old ones in ready circulation. — Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2026

Some were drawn first to the language and its interna ideo, only to later realize the travel benefits involved; others had learned the language specifically to bum around. — Katie Thornton, Harpers Magazine, 26 May 2026

Phrases Containing bum

• bum (out)