GUM UP Synonyms: 39 Similar and Opposite Words

gum (up)

verb

Definition of gum (up)

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

The Houthi blockade of the Bab-al-Mandeb strait has blocked another exit point for roughly 5 million barrels per day of Saudi oil.

— David Goldman, CNN Money, 24 July 2026
If Democrats block a stopgap bill, Thune will face plenty of problems with his fallback approach of passing a party-line spending bill to fund some of the government this fall.

— Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 23 July 2026

Definition of block

Verb

Lozano Flores is being held at the Ada County Jail on suspicion of lewd conduct with a child younger than 16, first-degree kidnapping, and resisting and obstructing an officer.

— Noah Daly, Idaho Statesman, 24 July 2026
The feds didn’t state a reason for the appeal, but have argued in the lawsuit that the city’s sanctuary protections unconstitutionally obstruct the federal government from enforcing immigration laws.

— Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 24 July 2026

Definition of obstruct

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.

Browse Nearby Words

gums (up)

gum (up)

gun

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Gum (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gum%20%28up%29. Accessed 27 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of gum (up)

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

parochial

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

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

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

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Every Letter Is Silent, Sometimes: A-Z List of Examples

Popular in Wordplay

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 24

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

Popular

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes