Skip to main content
to gum

to gum

2 7.2
To put a sticky substance on something so it sticks
  • verb
  • /ɡʌm/
translation icon : pegar
  • A sticky residue will gum up the gears if you don't clean the machine regularly.
  • gum up the works

They're just going to make minestrone in there, gum up the pipes with white beans.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • This type of coffee is sprayed with oils that can gum up your coffee machine components.

    Blog text (25)
  • The sticky fibers gum up high-speed machinery in cotton gins and textile mills.

    Academic text (1997)
  • What are you trying to do, gum up the works?

  • I know, gum up the works.

  • You might gum up the fingerprints.

  • What they do is they gum up this pump that recycles the stuff.

  • The only chance I have of catching them and bringing them in... is by staying away from you because you'd only gum up the works.

  • They're just going to make minestrone in there, gum up the pipes with white beans.

  • This is the clerk who fills out forms slightly incorrect and gums up the work.

  • If the glue isn't dry, it will gum up the nozzle and make it hard to use.

Antonyms

1.5

To move something or someone away from a place

1.0

To remove dirt and stains

Idioms

To do two simple things at the same time

9.9

To be finished and unable to continue working or succeeding

up a gum tree
  • Australian
9.8

In a difficult situation with no easy way out

Phrasal Verbs

to gum up
  • Informal
6 7.2

To make moving parts stuck with dirt or glue so they stop working

Compounds

25 1.0

A sweet piece you chew to freshen your breath but do not swallow

14 1.0

A sweet chewing gum that you can blow into bubbles

9 1.0

A small chewy piece of candy you chew once

spirit gum
  • Specialized
2 8.1

Glue that sticks fake hair or makeup pieces to skin

1 3.7

A tree that makes a sticky, sweet-smelling sap like eucalyptus

guar gum
  • Specialized
1 6.1

A powder from guar seeds used to thicken foods and help make paper and cloth

1 1.4

A small round piece of chewing gum with a hard colored sugar coating often sold in vending machines

red gum
  • Australian
1 8.8

A large Australian eucalyptus tree with smooth bark and reddish wood

gum arabic
  • Specialized
1 5.5

A sticky natural substance from the acacia tree used to thicken foods, candies, and medicines

1 6.0

A North American tree with spiky round seed balls and sweet-smelling sap and red leaves in autumn

1 6.1

A North American tree with star-shaped leaves and prickly round fruits

7.2

A tall fast-growing eucalyptus tree with bluish young leaves used for timber and medicine

black gum
  • Specialized
7.5

A tall tree in eastern North America with horizontal branches and bright red autumn leaves

black gum
  • Australian
9.9

A small Australian eucalyptus tree with rough dark bark at the base and red sap

butea gum
  • Indian
9.9

A sticky plant substance from the dhak tree used to help heal small wounds

bubble gum dermatitis
  • Specialized
7.4

A skin rash around the lips after chewing bubble gum with artificial colors or flavors

cherry-tree gum
  • Specialized
9.3

A sticky substance that comes from cherry tree bark and is used to make food thicker

chicle gum
  • Archaic
5.9

A natural sticky substance from the sapodilla tree used to make chewing gum

cider gum
  • Australian
9.0

A small to medium tree from Tasmania grown for its sweet sap and as a garden tree

A Mediterranean shrub with white flowers and sticky leaves that produce fragrant sap used in perfume

Congo gum
  • Specialized
9.9

A hard sticky substance from trees in Africa used to make varnish and glue

accroides gum
  • Archaic
9.9

A yellow sticky substance from some Australian trees used to make varnishes and paper

A North American tree with star-shaped leaves, spiky round fruit, and sticky fragrant sap

eucalyptus gum
  • Australian
7.5

A reddish-brown sticky substance from eucalyptus bark used in medicine and food

flooded gum
  • Australian
9.9

A tall Australian tree that grows in wet soil near rivers

forest red gum
  • Australian
9.1

A tall tree from eastern Australia with hard wood and smooth bark

kino gum
  • Specialized
9.9

A red or black sticky substance from tropical trees that people use to tan leather and treat wounds

lemon-scented gum
  • Australian
8.8

A tall Australian tree with smooth bark and a strong lemon smell from its leaves

manna gum
  • Australian
9.9

A tall Australian eucalyptus tree whose bark gives a sweet sticky substance

mesquite gum
  • Specialized
8.5

A natural sticky sweet substance from mesquite tree pods used in food and products

mountain swamp gum
  • Australian
9.9

A medium-sized eucalyptus tree that grows in swampy mountain areas in New South Wales and Victoria, Australia

ghatti gum
  • Indian
9.9

A natural sticky substance from the dhawa tree used to thicken food and other products

ghost gum
  • Australian
8.8

A small or medium tree from Australia and Tasmania with smooth pale bark that peels in strips

gum acacia
  • Specialized
6.7

A natural sticky substance from acacia trees used to thicken food and medicine

gum accroides
  • Australian
9.9

A sticky natural substance from some Australian trees that makers use for varnish and paper

gum albanum
  • Specialized
9.9

A bitter, strong-smelling gum that people use in traditional medicine and as a spice

gum ammoniac
  • Specialized
9.9

A sticky, fragrant substance from a plant used in medicine and to make varnish

gum anime
  • Specialized
9.9

A sticky substance from some tropical trees that people use to make varnish and incense

gum benjamin
  • Specialized
9.9

A fragrant resin from trees used in perfumes and to soothe irritated skin

gum benzoin
  • Specialized
9.6

A sticky substance from trees with a sweet scent used to protect skin and scent perfumes and incense

gum boot
  • Australian
3.2

A high rubber shoe that keeps your feet dry in wet or muddy places

gum butea
  • Indian
9.9

A dried sticky juice from the dhak tree used in medicine to help red, sore skin

gum ridge
  • Specialized
6.7

A raised part of the jawbone that holds the teeth

gum turpentine
  • Specialized
9.3

A sticky liquid from pine trees used to thin paint and clean brushes

gum dammar
  • Specialized
9.9

A hard pale material from certain trees used in varnish, incense, and to make paint shiny

gum elastic
  • Specialized
7.5

A natural stretchy material from tree sap used to make rubber things like tires or tubing

gum elemi
  • Specialized
9.9

A fragrant resin from trees used in incense, varnish, and perfume

gum euphorbium
  • Specialized
9.9

A bitter brown plant gum once used in medicine and now used mainly for animals

gum kino
  • Specialized
9.9

A reddish sticky substance from tropical trees used to make leather and as a medicine

gum labdanum
  • Specialized
9.9

A thick sticky substance from rockrose bushes that helps perfume keep its smell

gum myrrh
  • Specialized
9.9

A thick sticky substance from some trees that people burn to make a pleasant smell and use in perfume

gum olibanum
  • Specialized
9.9

A fragrant resin from trees burned as incense in religious ceremonies

gum plant
  • Specialized
8.8

A western American plant with sticky leaves sometimes used as medicine but poisonous to animals

gum resin
  • Specialized
6.1

A sticky natural substance from trees used to make medicines, varnish, and incense

gum-lac
  • Specialized
9.9

A sticky material that insects make in Madagascar and people use for varnish and dye

karaya gum
  • Specialized
9.8

A sticky natural gum from an Asian tree used to thicken food and cosmetics and to make fabrics smooth

kauri gum
  • New Zealand
9.9

A hard sticky substance from kauri trees in New Zealand used to make varnish and linoleum

red gum
  • US
8.9

A North American tree with spiky round fruits and scented sap

red gum
  • US
7.5

Reddish-brown wood from a tree used for making furniture and floors

river gum
  • Australian
7.8

A tall Australian tree with crooked branches that grows by rivers and has strong reddish wood

river red gum
  • Australian
7.9

A large Australian tree with hard red wood used for building that grows along rivers

rose gum
  • Australian
8.2

A very tall eucalyptus tree from eastern Australia grown for its strong wood and for parks

peppermint gum
  • Australian
8.1

A tall tree from Tasmania with leaves that smell like mint

Senegal gum
  • Specialized
9.6

A natural gum from trees called acacia near the Senegal River used to thicken or stabilize food and medicines

7.7

A sticky fragrant substance from a tree used in medicine and perfume

7.0

Reddish-brown wood from a North American tree used to make furniture

swamp gum
  • Australian
9.5

A medium-sized tree from southern Australia that grows in damp or swampy places

snow gum
  • Australian
8.8

A small Australian or Tasmanian tree with smooth light coloured bark that peels in strips

Sonora gum
  • Specialized
9.9

A slightly sour gum from a desert shrub used in traditional medicine

8.4

A tree that loses its leaves in autumn and has bright red leaves and small blue berries

sour-gum family
  • Specialized
9.9

A group of related trees that make flowers and fruit, like the sour gum tree

spotted gum
  • Australian
9.3

A large Australian tree with smooth spotted bark and strong wood

sterculia gum
  • Specialized
9.9

A sticky substance from Asian Sterculia trees used to thicken food, cosmetics, and cloth

How Sticky

to cement
38 4.4
to glue
50 1.8
to gum
2 7.2
to coat
105 2.8
to spread
664 1.6

Surface Forms

gum infinitive
gummed past
gummed past participle
gumming present participle
gums third person singular

Etymology

Gum as a verb (to stick something with a sticky substance) comes from the noun gum (the sticky resin). So to 'gum' edges or paper is to cover them with a sticky substance called gum.