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to gum

to gum

8.4
To give out a sticky sap from the bark or stem when injured
  • verb
  • /ɡʌm/
translation icon : rezumar

Examples

  • Bulls would gum it.

  • Larry's mid-sentence on the goddamn spoiled day shifters and the way they gum up the cruisers with their garbage when Brad rises.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • The tree began to gum as the hot sun warmed its bark, releasing a fragrant resin.

  • When tapped, the maple tree will gum to produce the sweet sap used for syrup.

  • As the pine sap dripped down, it started to gum on the ground beneath the tree.

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 Much

to gush
26 3.2
to secrete
  • Specialized
10 6.9
to gum
8.4
to exude
4 6.5
to ooze
64 3.9

Surface Forms

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

Etymology

Gum as a verb for trees (to give out gum) comes from the noun gum for tree sap, because the tree actually produces that sticky resin. That is why we say a tree will 'gum' when it oozes sap.