as in to stop (up)
to prevent passage through by filling with something
pipes gummed up with cooking grease
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gum (up)
Verb
-
Thousands of protesters met in front of City Hall in the afternoon, before many marched to the federal detention center, where a mob of violent agitators swarmed the area, pushing a large construction dumpster and blocking the entrance to the building's loading dock.—
Michael Sinkewicz,
FOXNews.com,
31 Jan. 2026 -
Much of the group later dispersed after they were threatened with arrest by local law enforcement for blocking the road.—
KIMBERLEE KRUESI,
Arkansas Online,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Organizers stressed that legal observers are there to witness and document, not to negotiate with agents or to obstruct.—
Laurie Perez,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Lake Superior and Lake Michigan are expected to experience high waves and damaging ice accumulation onto vessels, and central Michigan is under a flood warning due to ice jams that could obstruct the waterways, causing flooding, according to the NWS.—
Sarah Moore,
Freep.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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.
Cite this Entry
“Gum (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gum%20%28up%29. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
