gum
- noun
- /ɡʌm/
- The children enjoyed chewing gum while playing outside on a sunny day.
- xanthan gum
One sidelong stroke of gum suspended soot away from regret.
- One sidelong stroke of gum suspended soot away from regret.
Examples
-
The gum I use to keep the engine together is wearing out.
-
A beer can is stuck to the gum on the bottom of her shoe.
Fiction book (1993) -
There was a gum wrapper on the ground that he picked up and examined.
Fiction book (2000) -
All the walls are covered in gum, cigarettes, wrappers.
-
The gum arabic method makes it possible for the photograph to resemble an Impressionist painting.
Academic text (2000) -
And crowds gather under the gum tree Sunday mornings and sometimes late, late in the weekday evenings.
Fiction book (2000) -
Stay refreshed with Trident Spearmint, sugar free gum #holitosis.
-
The gum used for gluing the pieces together worked perfectly on the model.
-
He applied a small amount of gum to reinforce the bond between the two materials.
Synonyms
A sticky substance used to join things together
A thick sticky substance from plants or made by people for glue and plastic
Glue that sticks fake hair or makeup pieces to skin
A powder from guar seeds used to thicken foods and help make paper and cloth
A thick sticky substance from plants used as glue
A sticky natural substance from the acacia tree used to thicken foods, candies, and medicines
A sticky substance like glue that holds two surfaces together
A thick glue-like substance that clings to things and makes a mess
A sticky natural substance from trees used to make medicines, varnish, and incense
A sticky material some plants make, like amber, that people use in varnish and glue
A natural sticky substance from acacia trees used to thicken food and medicine
A natural gum from trees called acacia near the Senegal River used to thicken or stabilize food and medicines
A sticky fragrant substance from a tree used in medicine and perfume
A hard sticky substance from trees in Africa used to make varnish and glue
A reddish-brown sticky substance from eucalyptus bark used in medicine and food
A sticky substance from trees with a sweet scent used to protect skin and scent perfumes and incense
A fragrant resin from trees used in perfumes and to soothe irritated skin
A fragrant resin from trees burned as incense in religious ceremonies
A bitter, strong-smelling gum that people use in traditional medicine and as a spice
A sticky, fragrant substance from a plant used in medicine and to make varnish
A sticky substance from some tropical trees that people use to make varnish and incense
A sticky plant substance from the dhak tree used to help heal small wounds
Idioms
Compounds
- Specialized
A powder from guar seeds used to thicken foods and help make paper and cloth
A small round piece of chewing gum with a hard colored sugar coating often sold in vending machines
- Specialized
A sticky natural substance from the acacia tree used to thicken foods, candies, and medicines
A North American tree with spiky round seed balls and sweet-smelling sap and red leaves in autumn
- UK
A tall fast-growing eucalyptus tree with bluish young leaves used for timber and medicine
- Specialized
A tall tree in eastern North America with horizontal branches and bright red autumn leaves
- Australian
A small Australian eucalyptus tree with rough dark bark at the base and red sap
- Specialized
A skin rash around the lips after chewing bubble gum with artificial colors or flavors
- Specialized
A sticky substance that comes from cherry tree bark and is used to make food thicker
- Australian
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
- Specialized
A hard sticky substance from trees in Africa used to make varnish and glue
- Archaic
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
- Australian
A reddish-brown sticky substance from eucalyptus bark used in medicine and food
- Specialized
A red or black sticky substance from tropical trees that people use to tan leather and treat wounds
- Australian
A tall Australian tree with smooth bark and a strong lemon smell from its leaves
- Australian
A tall Australian eucalyptus tree whose bark gives a sweet sticky substance
- Specialized
A natural sticky sweet substance from mesquite tree pods used in food and products
- Australian
A medium-sized eucalyptus tree that grows in swampy mountain areas in New South Wales and Victoria, Australia
- Indian
A natural sticky substance from the dhawa tree used to thicken food and other products
- Australian
A small or medium tree from Australia and Tasmania with smooth pale bark that peels in strips
- Specialized
A natural sticky substance from acacia trees used to thicken food and medicine
- Australian
A sticky natural substance from some Australian trees that makers use for varnish and paper
- Specialized
A bitter, strong-smelling gum that people use in traditional medicine and as a spice
- Specialized
A sticky, fragrant substance from a plant used in medicine and to make varnish
- Specialized
A sticky substance from some tropical trees that people use to make varnish and incense
- Specialized
A fragrant resin from trees used in perfumes and to soothe irritated skin
- Specialized
A sticky substance from trees with a sweet scent used to protect skin and scent perfumes and incense
- Indian
A dried sticky juice from the dhak tree used in medicine to help red, sore skin
- Specialized
A hard pale material from certain trees used in varnish, incense, and to make paint shiny
- Specialized
A natural stretchy material from tree sap used to make rubber things like tires or tubing
- Specialized
A bitter brown plant gum once used in medicine and now used mainly for animals
- Specialized
A reddish sticky substance from tropical trees used to make leather and as a medicine
- Specialized
A thick sticky substance from rockrose bushes that helps perfume keep its smell
- Specialized
A thick sticky substance from some trees that people burn to make a pleasant smell and use in perfume
- Specialized
A western American plant with sticky leaves sometimes used as medicine but poisonous to animals
- Specialized
A sticky natural substance from trees used to make medicines, varnish, and incense
- Specialized
A sticky material that insects make in Madagascar and people use for varnish and dye
- Specialized
A sticky natural gum from an Asian tree used to thicken food and cosmetics and to make fabrics smooth
- New Zealand
A hard sticky substance from kauri trees in New Zealand used to make varnish and linoleum
- Australian
A tall Australian tree with crooked branches that grows by rivers and has strong reddish wood
- Australian
A large Australian tree with hard red wood used for building that grows along rivers
- Australian
A very tall eucalyptus tree from eastern Australia grown for its strong wood and for parks
- Specialized
A natural gum from trees called acacia near the Senegal River used to thicken or stabilize food and medicines
- Australian
A medium-sized tree from southern Australia that grows in damp or swampy places
- Australian
A small Australian or Tasmanian tree with smooth light coloured bark that peels in strips
- US
A tree that loses its leaves in autumn and has bright red leaves and small blue berries
- Specialized
A group of related trees that make flowers and fruit, like the sour gum tree
- Specialized
A sticky substance from Asian Sterculia trees used to thicken food, cosmetics, and cloth
How Sticky
Surface Forms
Etymology
Gum comes from an old word gummi meaning 'sap' or 'resin' from trees. Think of tree sap that becomes sticky — that is why gum means a sticky substance used as a glue.