Pronunciation

/ɡʌm/

Definitions

• Noun: A sticky, elastic material that is typically produced by various plants (such as trees) or synthetically and often chewed for pleasure or to freshen breath. For example: “She bought a pack of chewing gum at the convenience store.”

  • As a mass noun: The resinous substance exuded by certain trees, especially pines, that hardens on exposure to air. Example: “The path was covered with pine gum.”

• Verb: To cover or stick something with gum. For example: “The child had gummed his hair while trying to blow bubbles.”

  • Informal verb: To chew gum. For example: “He’s been gumming that piece of gum all day.”

Phrases

• “Chew gum”: To chew on a piece of gum.
• “Stick it to the gum”: An informal expression meaning to adhere something to a surface using gum-like adhesive.
• “Gum up the works”: To interfere with or obstruct the functioning of something.

Example Sentences

• Noun: “The wad of gum under the desk had become rock-hard.”
• Verb: “The toddler gummed the pages of her coloring book together.”
• Informal Verb: “She enjoys gumming mint-flavored gum after meals.”

Synonyms

• Chewing gum
• Bubble gum
• Adhesive (when referring to the sticky substance)
• Resin (for the tree-produced substance)

In its verb form, synonyms for “gum” when referring to chewing might include “chew” or “masticate,” although these don’t specifically refer to gum. When used in the sense of sticking things together, synonyms could be “glue”, “paste”, or “stick”.