to bum around
4
7.9
- phrasal verb
- /bʌm əˈraʊnd/
- Informal
- We'd been bumming around Morocco for three weeks.
- just bummed around
- bummed around for a while
- bummed around for a year
Examples
-
As a result, I'm off afternoon bed rest, but I'm done working now that I've hit my due date, so I'm just bumming around the house.
Blog text (25) -
He loves to bum around the park, reading books and soaking up the sun.
-
I caught a plane to America, bummed around for a while, came back, and changed my color.
Fiction book (1990) -
Instead, I bummed around for a couple of years, then started to contact old friends.
Fiction book (1999) -
I'm just bumming around watching TV.
-
A few years bumming around before seeking the security of a city job and a pension.
Fiction book (2002) -
He bummed around on his savings until he saw an ad for a one-year training school for actors, and when the year was over, he eventually found work with Imamura Pictures.
Fiction book (2001) -
I spent the summer bummed around the city, enjoying the nice weather and relaxing.
-
After graduating, I decided to bum around for a few months before looking for a job.
Synonyms
882
1.5
Spend time without any activity
371
1.1
To spend time sitting and doing very little without a clear purpose
148
3.6
Act in a silly, playful way instead of working
133
4.1
To spend time doing playful or unplanned activities
17
3.7
To spend time doing nothing useful
8
6.2
To spend time doing little or nothing instead of working
8
3.2
To spend time doing nothing
7
5.9
To spend time somewhere doing nothing special
7
7.0
To spend time doing small, not important jobs in a relaxed way
7
3.8
To relax and do very little
7
7.3
Waste time by acting silly instead of working
6
9.5
To waste time instead of doing the work you need
6
8.4
To spend time doing not important things in a relaxed way
5
6.5
To spend time doing small, not important tasks slowly without a clear plan
5
7.7
To spend time doing nothing and not working
5
7.0
To sit or lie in a lazy, relaxed way
4
8.7
To spend time doing things that are not important
2
9.2
To spend time doing small unimportant things instead of working
2
8.7
To waste time doing small unimportant things
2
9.9
To waste time doing unimportant or silly things instead of doing something important
1
4.4
To spend time doing very little and relaxing
1
7.7
To spend time doing nothing useful
1
3.4
To spend time lazily doing little or nothing
1
6.5
To move around slowly doing small jobs in no hurry
1
6.5
To spend time doing nothing in a lazy way
1
8.6
To spend time doing small unimportant things with no real plan
1
3.3
To spend time on things that are not useful
1
8.4
To travel slowly without a clear plan
1
9.9
To waste time instead of doing something useful
1
8.6
To spend time doing very little and moving around without plans
1
8.6
Spend time or money on unimportant things
1
9.9
To sit and do nothing instead of working
1
9.9
To waste time instead of doing something useful
1
9.9
To waste time on small unimportant things
1
9.9
To waste time doing silly or lazy things instead of useful work
To waste time instead of doing something useful
To behave lazily and avoid work or responsibility
Walk around slowly without a plan
Antonyms
How Idle
- Informal
1
6.3
33
5.4
- Informal
4
7.9
34
2.7
- UK
1
6.5
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to spend time doing very little' is directly derivable from combining 'bum' (to idle) with 'around' (aimlessly/about), forming a standard verb + particle construction that signals aimless activity. Although somewhat informal, the semantic relation is transparent and would be understandable to a B1 learner who knows both constituent words.
Etymology
Bum around comes from the old use of bum for a person with no job who just moves around from place to place; imagine someone wandering with no plan and doing very little. That's why it now means 'to spend time doing very little or nothing in particular'.