bummer 1 of 2

noun (1)

ˈbə-mər How to pronounce bummer (audio)
Definition of bummernext
1
as in accident
something (as a situation or event) that is depressing boy, breaking your leg right before vacation is a bummer

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in disappointment
something that disappoints the cancellation of the holiday office party was a total bummer

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in disaster
something that has failed that new start-up company proved to be a real bummer

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

bummer

2 of 2

noun (2)

as in hobo
a homeless wanderer who may beg or steal for a living a lifelong bummer, he never knew the satisfaction of having to work for a living

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bummer
Noun
Kara has a backstory, which turns out to be an overinflated CGI bummer. — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 24 June 2026 Certainly not from the game itself; basketball moves fast, and a bummer can become a bust in a blink. — Mirjam Swanson, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2026 While this news is a bummer for points and miles aficionados, everyday travelers and cashback rewards fans will barely notice the change. — Katherine Fan, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 June 2026 That’s an ironic bummer considering the stadium itself was a key reason Kansas City was awarded six games in the 48-nation competition. — Kansas City Star, 28 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for bummer
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bummer
  1. accident
  2. disappointment
  3. disaster
  4. hobo
  5. bore
  6. failure
  7. beggar
  8. downer
Noun
  • Mitchell Michalak, an epidemiologist with the Florida Department of Health in Orange County, said ER visits here for injuries related to e-bike and e-scooter accidents jumped 273% from 2022 to 2025.
    — Steven Walker, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 July 2026
  • Another American frontier model refused to help defend it, on principle, not by accident.
    — Ashish Bhatia, Forbes.com, 25 July 2026
Definition of accident
Noun
  • Stratford-Upon-Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare, is a two-hour trip from London and a number of ticket-holders expressed their disappointment online, alleging to have arrived from as far afield as Canada.
    — K.J. Yossman, Variety, 29 July 2026
  • The 54-year-old will take over from longtime head coach Didier Deschamps, who stepped down after the 2026 World Cup, which ended in disappointment for Les Bleus.
    — Thomas Schlachter, CNN Money, 28 July 2026
Definition of disappointment
Noun
  • Established by Congress in 1990, TPS gives temporary protection to people who don’t feel safe returning to countries plagued by disaster or armed conflict such as El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua.
    — Jessica Guynn, USA Today, 30 July 2026
  • That was, frankly, ridiculous, and our coverage said as much, arguing that this deep dive into one of Hollywood’s most notorious genre disasters deserved a much wider release.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 30 July 2026
Definition of disaster
Noun
  • The slouchy silhouette is ideal for anyone who appreciates the hobo bag look.
    — Mia McManus, PEOPLE, 11 July 2026
  • Per usual with movies like this, spelling out the terror (the roots are in hobo codes and religious legend) becomes, regrettably, a shock absorber, not a facilitator.
    — Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2026
Definition of hobo
Noun
  • As rain drizzled and the humidity bore down, the president peered at blueprints for the public golf course, before driving to his own course in Virginia via the Arlington Memorial Bridge, near where his Triumphal Arch may soon be built.
    — Shelby Talcott, semafor.com, 3 July 2026
  • Breaking it down by item type, 80 percent of scarves 54 percent of tops, 25 percent of baby clothing, 13 percent of activewear and 14 percent of sleep wear bore inaccurate labels.
    — Jennifer Bringle, Footwear News, 25 June 2026
Definition of bore
Noun
  • The Illinois Department of Transportation announced that there would be an emergency road closure at the inbound Lawrence Avenue exit on the Kennedy (Interstate 90), citing the early morning concrete retention wall failure as the reason.
    — Allison Kiehl, Chicago Tribune, 2 Aug. 2026
  • These failures stemmed not from new vulnerabilities, but from basic security flaws like weak passwords and unauthenticated endpoints, and reliance on assumptions over robust controls.
    — Sandy Carter, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of failure
Noun
  • Robert Pattinson’s big outburst in Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey,’ has gone viral—here’s the ‘beggars’ meme, explained.
    — Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026
  • Antinous shocked even the other suitors by insulting and assaulting an elderly beggar; when the beggar revealed himself as Odysseus and slew the suitors, Antinous was the first to die.
    — Gitanjali Roy, Encyclopedia Britannica, 21 July 2026
Definition of beggar
Noun
  • Since insurance is the best form of asset protection found anywhere, this can be a downer.
    — Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
  • Both are viable, both have joyous moments, and both have downer moments as these two scenarios are played out.
    — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 5 June 2026
Definition of downer

Browse Nearby Words

bummed (out)
bummer
bummers
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bummer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bummer. Accessed 3 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on bummer

Nglish: Translation of bummer for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of mitigate

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

How long is a jiffy?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All