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to gum

to gum

3 9.1
To chew food slowly using the soft tissue around the teeth because they have few teeth
  • verb
  • /ɡʌm/
: masticar con las encías
  • No, because normal people don't just gum down guac with a spoon.

Examples

  • And as long as I have teeth, I will bite you, and if I have no teeth, I will gum you!

  • You gonna smoke that or gum it to death?

  • The old woman began to gum a seed.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • Emotions that can't be had lodge themselves in US and gum up our systems.

  • Not to gum it, but just so when its tail jams in my back, I know who to bill for the embalming!

  • Now when sugars do this, it gums up the function of your cells and your tissues.

  • And when I'm old and gray and toothless and bootless, I'll gum it till I go to heaven and booze goes to hell!

  • It's on you to be smart, be practical, and not let the quacks get their... uhh, well, I was going to go with "teeth in you," but ducks don't really have teeth, so let's just go with, "don't let the quacks gum you to death with their pond-slick bills."

    Blog text (28)
  • Kali was too crippled and toothless to be the child-killer, though Aganippe had once seen the grim old girl gum a hapless intruder half to death.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • The elderly man finds it hard to chew, so he must gum his food instead.

Synonyms

to mumble
vsto gum
  • Archaic
1 8.9

To chew food using the gums when you have no teeth

is slower chewing that uses soft mouth tissues rather than teeth

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
8 7.2

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

Compounds

62 1.0

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

25 1.0

A sweet chewing gum that you can blow into bubbles

15 1.0

A small chewy piece of candy you chew once

4 1.4

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

spirit gum
  • Specialized
2 8.1

Glue that sticks fake hair or makeup pieces to skin

2 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

red gum
  • US
1 8.9

A North American tree with spiky round fruits and scented sap

gum arabic
  • Specialized
1 5.5

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

1 7.7

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

1 6.1

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

red gum
  • US
1 7.5

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

1 6.0

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

1 7.2

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

gum boot
  • Australian
1 3.2

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

gum resin
  • Specialized
1 6.1

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

swamp gum
  • Australian
1 9.5

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

black gum
  • Specialized
1 7.5

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

1 8.4

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

gum ridge
  • Specialized
1 6.7

A raised part of the jawbone that holds the teeth

spotted gum
  • Australian
1 9.3

A large Australian tree with smooth spotted bark and strong wood

chicle gum
  • Archaic
1 5.9

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

river gum
  • Australian
1 7.8

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

flooded gum
  • Australian
1 9.9

A tall Australian tree that grows in wet soil near rivers

peppermint gum
  • Australian
1 8.1

A tall tree from Tasmania with leaves that smell like mint

black gum
  • Australian
1 9.9

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

lemon-scented gum
  • Australian
1 8.8

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

river red gum
  • Australian
1 7.9

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

gum dammar
  • Specialized
1 9.9

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

red gum
  • Australian
1 8.8

A large Australian eucalyptus tree with smooth bark and reddish wood

cherry-tree gum
  • Specialized
1 9.3

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

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

eucalyptus gum
  • Australian
1 7.5

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

gum turpentine
  • Specialized
1 9.3

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

mountain swamp gum
  • Australian
1 9.9

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

kauri gum
  • New Zealand
1 9.9

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

rose gum
  • Australian
1 8.2

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

snow gum
  • Australian
1 8.8

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

1 7.7

A tall swamp tree that has pale, soft wood used for making things

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

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

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

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

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 butea
  • Indian
9.9

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

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-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

Senegal gum
  • Specialized
9.6

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

7.0

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

Sonora gum
  • Specialized
9.9

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

sour-gum family
  • Specialized
9.9

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

How Vigorous

to chomp
32 4.0
to munch
42 2.6
to chew
407 1.0
to nibble
55 2.0
to gum
3 9.1

Surface Forms

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

Etymology

Gum as a verb meaning to chew with the gums comes from the noun gums (the mouth tissue), so to 'gum' food is to use your gums to crush it when you have few or no teeth.