gum

gum — noun

1. The pink flesh that surrounds each tooth inside a person's mouth, protecting the

1.nounA2
Definition

The pink flesh that surrounds each tooth inside a person's mouth, protecting the bone underneath.

Example

Yuki's gums started to bleed when she brushed her teeth too hard.

gums + bleed (dental health context)

The dentist told Sophia to floss every day to keep her gums healthy.

Common collocations
  • bleeding gums
  • swollen gums
  • gum disease
  • gum line
  • gum infection
  • gum health

Grammar Patterns

usually plural: gums

Usage Note

The plural form 'gums' is very common because the flesh covers both the upper and lower jaw. The singular 'gum' is used when referring to one specific area, such as around a single tooth.

2. A sticky liquid that comes out of the trunk or branches of certain trees when th

2.nounB1
Definition

A sticky liquid that comes out of the trunk or branches of certain trees when the bark is cut, often used to make glue, sweets, and medicine.

Example

Gum arabic, which comes from acacia trees, is used in soft drinks and sweets.

gum arabic + food industry use

The trunk of the cherry tree was covered in thick, dried gum.

Common collocations
  • gum arabic
  • natural gum
  • tree gum
  • plant gum
  • gum resin
Synonyms
  • resin

    A thicker, often harder substance from trees, used for varnishes and incense; not the same as water-soluble gum.

  • sap

    The liquid that flows inside a tree's stem; gum is a thicker, stickier substance that oozes out when the bark is damaged.

Usage Note

Natural gum from trees is different from the synthetic glue sold in shops as 'gum'. Tree gum is water-soluble and hardens when it dries.

Common Mistakes

The tree produced a lot of gums.
The tree produced a lot of gum.
Gum as a plant substance is uncountable; do not add 's' to mean more than one drop.

3. An adhesive product, often sold as a stick or a liquid, that is used to stick pa

3.nounB1
Definition

An adhesive product, often sold as a stick or a liquid, that is used to stick paper and other light items together.

Example

Jenna used a stick of gum to fix the torn corner of her notebook page.

stick of gum (adhesive format)

The children spread gum on the paper stars and pressed them onto the poster.

Common collocations
  • stick of gum
  • liquid gum
  • tube of gum
  • gum adhesive
  • gum the label
Synonyms
  • glue

    More common than 'gum' for general adhesives; 'glue' can be stronger and used for heavier materials.

  • paste

    A soft, wet mixture used for paper; thicker than gum and often made from flour and water.

  • cement

    A very strong adhesive used for materials like rubber, plastic, or metal; much stronger than paper gum.

Common Mistakes

I need a gum to stick this paper.
I need some gum to stick this paper.' or 'I need a glue stick.
'Gum' as an adhesive is usually uncountable, or you can specify a 'stick of gum'.

4. A soft, sweet food that you keep chewing and biting between your teeth but never

4.nounA1
Definition

A soft, sweet food that you keep chewing and biting between your teeth but never actually eat.

Example

Anjali offered her friend a piece of gum after lunch to freshen her breath.

piece of gum + quantity expression

The teacher asked the students not to chew gum during the exam.

Common collocations
  • chew gum
  • piece of gum
  • pack of gum
  • stick of gum
  • bubble gum
  • mint gum
  • gum wrapper
Synonyms
  • chewing gum

    The full term; slightly more formal than just 'gum'.

  • bubble gum

    A type of gum that can be blown into bubbles; usually pink and fruit-flavoured.

  • mint

    A breath-freshening sweet that you suck or crush; not the same as gum because you do not keep chewing it.

Usage Note

'Gum' is short for 'chewing gum' or 'bubble gum'. It is uncountable, so you say 'a piece of gum' or 'a stick of gum', not 'a gum'.

Common Mistakes

Can I have a gum?
Can I have a piece of gum?
'Gum' is uncountable; use 'a piece of', 'a stick of', or 'a pack of' to refer to a single item.

5. A chewy, brightly coloured sweet with a fruit flavour, often made in shapes like

5.nounA2
Definition

A chewy, brightly coloured sweet with a fruit flavour, often made in shapes like bears, worms, or rings.

Example

Trang bought a bag of fruit gums and shared them with her classmates at break.

bag of fruit gums + sharing context

The children's favourite treat was a handful of colourful gummy bears after dinner.

Common collocations
  • fruit gums
  • gummy bears
  • gummy worms
  • gum drops
  • chewy sweets
Synonyms
  • gummy bears

    The most common type of gum sweet, shaped like small bears.

  • jelly sweets

    A broader category of soft, chewy sweets; often used in British English.

  • gum drops

    A specific type of gum sweet shaped like small rounded drops, often coated in sugar.

Usage Note

This sense is used mainly in product names like 'fruit gums', 'gummy bears', 'gummy worms', or 'gum drops'. In everyday speech, people often say 'gummy bears' or 'gummy sweets' rather than just 'gums'.

Common Mistakes

I ate some gums after lunch.
I ate some gummy sweets after lunch.' or 'I ate some fruit gums.
'Gums' can sound like the mouth flesh; use 'gummy bears' or 'fruit gums' to be clear.

6. A tree that produces gum, especially a eucalyptus or a sweet gum tree, found in

6.nounB2
Definition

A tree that produces gum, especially a eucalyptus or a sweet gum tree, found in warm regions such as Australia and parts of North America.

Example

The garden behind their house had three tall gum trees that shaded the yard.

tall gum trees (Australian context)

Yuki learned that koalas eat the leaves of certain gum trees in Australia.

Common collocations
  • gum tree
  • eucalyptus tree
  • sweet gum
  • black gum
  • gum leaves
  • gum forest
Synonyms
  • eucalyptus

    The most common type of gum tree, native to Australia; 'eucalyptus' is the scientific name.

  • sweet gum

    A North American tree (Liquidambar) known for its colourful autumn leaves and spiky seed balls.

Usage Note

In Australia, 'gum tree' almost always means a eucalyptus. In North America, it can refer to the sweet gum or black gum tree, which are different species.

Common Mistakes

The gum tree in my garden has fruit gums on it.
The gum tree in my garden has thick sap on its bark.
A gum tree is a living plant; fruit gums are sweets sold in shops.
Idioms

by gum!

idiom

An old-fashioned expression used to show surprise or strong feeling.

By gum! That was a huge fish you caught.

By gum! I didn't expect to see you here.

gum — verb

Word family

  • gums
    plural nounA2
  • gummy
    adjectiveB1
  • gummed
    adjectiveB2
  • gumminess
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/3

'Glue' is the most common and general word for any substance that sticks things together, from paper to wood to plastic. 'Gum' (noun/3) is specifically a type of glue used for light materials such as paper and card, often sold in a stick or liquid form. 'Paste' is a wet, soft adhesive, often home-made from flour and water, used for paper crafts and wallpaper. 'Cement' is a much stronger adhesive used for rubber, plastic, metal, or ceramics — you would use cement to repair a shoe sole or a broken toy, not for sticking paper. 'Adhesive' is the most formal and general category term, covering all sticky substances including tape, gum, and glue. For everyday classroom use, 'gum' and 'glue' are interchangeable for paper, but 'glue' sounds more natural when talking about sticking heavier items.

glue ↗paste ↗cement ↗adhesive ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • piece of gum
  • stick of gum
  • pack of gum
  • tube of gum
  • gum the label

Prepositions

Etymology

Old English (goma)Proto-GermanicIndo-European root gheu- (to chew)...Egyptian (kemai)Greek (kommi)Latin (gummi)Old French (gomme)English (gum)

The word 'gum' in English actually comes from two different historical sources. The mouth-flesh meaning (noun/1) comes from Old English 'goma', meaning the inside of the mouth or palate, which traces back through Proto-Germanic to an ancient Indo-European root meaning 'to chew'. The sticky-substance meanings (noun/2–3, verb) come from a completely different route: Old French 'gomme', from Latin 'gummi', from Greek 'kommi', which was borrowed from the Egyptian word 'kemai', meaning tree resin. These two words had different spellings in Old English ('goma' for mouth and late Old English 'gumme' for the substance) but gradually merged into the same spelling 'gum' in Middle English.