gum
gb/ɡˈʌm/ us/ɡˈʌm/
A2
English
~ 9200
rágógumi, rágó, íny, mézga, növényi gumi, ragasztóanyag, eltömít, beragaszt, összeragacsoz, ínyével rág, eukaliptuszfa
NOUN
A2
1
Usage pattern:
chew [gum]
He put a stick of gum in his mouth before the job interview to freshen his breath.
Az állásinterjú előtt bekapott egy rágógumit, hogy felfrissítse a leheletét.
Please do not throw your chewing gum on the ground.
Kérlek, ne dobd a rágógumit a földre.
She blew a huge bubble with her bubble gum and it popped all over her face.
I always keep a pack of sugar-free gum in my bag.
The teacher asked the students to stop chewing gum in class.
Learner examples
I like to chew gum after lunch.
Szeretek ebéd után rágózni.
He bought a pack of gum at the shop.
Vett egy csomag rágógumit a boltban.
She is chewing gum while she waits for the bus.
Please spit your gum into the trash.
My friend gave me a piece of bubble gum.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse uncountable and countable uses. We often say 'a piece/stick of gum' for one unit, not 'a gum'. Also, do not say 'eat gum'; say 'chew gum'.
Meaning
sweet rubbery candy for chewing
Collocations
chewing gum
|stick of gum
|piece of gum
|pack of gum
|bubble gum
|sugar-free gum
Synonyms
chewing gum (More specific and common term for gum used as candy for chewing.)
|
bubble gum (Refers specifically to gum that you can blow bubbles with; often sweeter and softer.)
Antonyms
hard candy (A sweet that you suck or bite and then swallow, not something you keep chewing without swallowing.)
Themes
food
|daily life
|food_drink
|daily_life
Definition
A sweet, rubber-like candy that you chew but do not eat or swallow.
A sweet, rubbery substance that you chew to enjoy the flavor or freshen your breath, but do not swallow.
NOUN
B1
2
íny
B1
Usage pattern:
[someone]'s gums
The dentist said my gums were healthy but that I should floss more often.
A fogorvos azt mondta, hogy egészséges az ínyem, de gyakrabban kellene fogselymet használnom.
Her gums started bleeding when she brushed too hard.
Vérezni kezdett az ínye, amikor túl erősen mosott fogat.
Smoking can damage your gums and lead to tooth loss.
He has receding gums and needs special treatment.
Red, swollen gums may be a sign of gum disease.
Learner examples
My gums hurt when I eat hot food.
Fáj az ínyem, amikor forró ételt eszem.
The dentist looked at my teeth and my gums.
A fogorvos megnézte a fogaimat és az ínyemet.
Her gums are red and sore today.
I brush my teeth to keep my gums healthy.
If your gums bleed, you should see a dentist.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'gum' (the candy) with 'gums' (body part). The body part is almost always used in the plural: 'my gums hurt', not 'my gum hurts', unless talking about only one area.
Meaning
soft tissue around the teeth
Collocations
bleeding gums
|sore gums
|swollen gums
|receding gums
|healthy gums
|gum disease
Synonyms
gingiva (Technical medical term used by dentists and in anatomy, not in everyday speech.)
Antonyms
teeth (Not a true opposite, but the hard parts in the mouth that are contrasted with the soft gums.)
Themes
health
|body
|medicine
Definition
The soft pink part in your mouth that is around your teeth.
The pink soft tissue inside the mouth that surrounds and supports the bases of the teeth.
NOUN
B2
3
Usage pattern:
[gum] on [something]
A thin layer of gum on the back of the stamp allows it to stick to the envelope.
A bélyeg hátoldalán lévő vékony ragasztóréteg miatt ráragad a borítékra.
Some candies use natural plant gum as a thickener.
Egyes cukorkákhoz természetes növényi gumit használnak sűrítőanyagként.
Gum arabic is a common food additive and stabilizer.
The label left a sticky gum on the glass jar.
The tree’s bark was covered with beads of amber-colored gum.
Learner examples
There is sticky gum on the back of this sticker.
Ragadós ragasztóréteg van ennek a matricának a hátoldalán.
This tree makes a lot of thick gum on the trunk.
Ennek a fának a törzsén sok sűrű mézga képződik.
The gum from this plant is used in food.
The gum from the label stayed on the bottle.
He used a special gum to fix the book.
Common mistake:
Learners may think 'gum' only means the candy. In technical or product descriptions, 'gum' can mean a general sticky substance, not something you chew.
Meaning
sticky glue-like substance or resin
Collocations
natural gum
|plant gum
|gum arabic
|stamp gum
|gum residue
|gum base
Synonyms
adhesive (More general and often more formal word for any substance used to stick things together.)
|
resin (Refers specifically to natural plant products; overlaps when gum is plant-derived.)
Antonyms
solvent (A liquid that dissolves or removes sticky substances rather than making things stick.)
Themes
materials
|science
|daily_life
|nature
Definition
A thick, sticky material that can make things stick together or that comes from some trees and plants.
A sticky substance, either used as an adhesive or produced naturally by some plants as a thick resin.
VERB
C1
4
Usage pattern:
gum [something] (up)
Old oil can gum up the engine if it is not changed regularly.
A régi olaj lerakódásokkal eltömítheti a motort, ha nem cserélik rendszeresen.
The wrong kind of tape gummed up the printer rollers.
A nem megfelelő ragasztószalag összeragacsozta a nyomtató görgőit.
Don’t use too much glue, or you’ll gum up the lock.
Dust and grease had gummed up the window tracks.
Sticky labels gummed up the recycling machine.
Learner examples
The sugar drink gummed up the keys on my keyboard.
A cukros ital beragasztotta a billentyűzetem billentyűit.
Old paint can gum up the brush.
A régi festék összeragacsozhatja az ecsetet.
Grease and dirt gummed up the small wheels.
Too much tape will gum up the machine.
Sand in the oil gummed up the motor.
Common mistake:
Learners often see 'gum up' and may not realize 'gum' is the main verb. It is usually used in the pattern 'gum [something] up' or 'gum up [something]', and it is often figurative for 'make something not work well'.
Meaning
make something sticky or clog it
Collocations
gum up the works
|gum up the system
|gummed-up printer
|gummed bearings
|gum the mechanism
Synonyms
clog (Focuses on blocking movement, especially of liquids or machines, without necessarily implying stickiness.)
|
foul (Often used for making something dirty or blocked, especially machinery or engines.)
Antonyms
clear (Means to remove what is blocking or sticking, so that something can move or work properly again.)
Themes
daily life
|technology
|daily_life
Definition
To cover something with a thick, sticky material so that it does not move or work well.
To make something sticky or clogged by covering it with a thick, glue-like substance, often causing it not to work properly.
VERB
B2
5
ínyével rág
B1
Usage pattern:
gum [food]
The baby gummed a piece of soft banana.
A baba az ínyével rágcsált egy darab puha banánt.
Without his dentures, he could only gum his dinner.
A műfogsora nélkül csak az ínyével tudta rágni a vacsoráját.
The puppy sat in the corner, happily gumming a rubber toy.
She gently gummed the cracker until it was soft enough to swallow.
He gummed his toast slowly while waiting for his new teeth.
Learner examples
The baby is gumming a soft cookie.
A baba az ínyével rágcsál egy puha kekszet.
My grandfather gummed his food because he lost his teeth.
A nagyapám az ínyével rágta az ételt, mert elvesztette a fogait.
The child gummed the bread before swallowing it.
The dog gummed the toy but did not bite it hard.
She gummed the fruit because it was very soft.
Common mistake:
Learners may think this verb is common in all contexts, but it is mostly used for babies, older people without teeth, or animals, and often sounds a bit humorous or descriptive.
Meaning
chew food using the gums
Collocations
gum his food
|gumming her bread
|gummed vegetables
|gumming on a toy
Synonyms
mash (Means to crush food into a soft mass; does not specifically mention using gums or chewing.)
Antonyms
bite (Uses the teeth to cut into food, the opposite of chewing without using teeth.)
Themes
food
|daily life
|body
|health
Definition
To press and chew food with your gums because you do not have teeth or do not use them.
To chew food using the gums instead of the teeth, especially when someone has few or no teeth.
NOUN
B2
6
Usage pattern:
a gum tree
Koalas spend most of their lives in gum trees.
A koalák életük nagy részét eukaliptuszfákon töltik.
A line of tall gum trees marked the edge of the property.
Magas eukaliptuszfák sora jelölte a birtok szélét.
The scent of the gum trees filled the air after the rain.
Many Australian landscapes are dominated by native gum trees.
The fire burned quickly through the dry gum forest.
Learner examples
Koalas eat the leaves of gum trees.
A koalák az eukaliptuszfák leveleit eszik.
There are many gum trees near the river.
Sok eukaliptuszfa van a folyó közelében.
We walked through a forest of gum trees.
The gum trees were very tall and thin.
He painted a picture of a big gum tree.
Common mistake:
Learners outside Australia and nearby regions may not recognize that 'gum' in 'gum tree' refers to eucalyptus and may wrongly connect it with chewing gum.
Meaning
type of eucalyptus tree
Collocations
gum tree
|river red gum
|blue gum
|stand of gum trees
|tall gums
Synonyms
eucalyptus (Scientific and general name for the genus; 'gum' is a common name used especially in Australia.)
Antonyms
shrub (A smaller woody plant, contrasted with tall trees like gum trees.)
Themes
nature
|plants
|environment
Definition
A kind of eucalyptus tree that lets out a sticky substance from its trunk and branches.
Any of various eucalyptus trees, especially those that exude a sticky gum from the bark.
Grammar
Dictionary form
gum
IPA
GB/ɡˈʌm/
US/ɡˈʌm/
Syllables & stress
gum (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (gum)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: gum
- Plural: gum, gums
Verb
- Base: gum
- 3rd Person Singular: gums
- Present Participle: gumming
- Past: gummed
Word family
Forms
gums
noun
gumming
verb
gummed
verb
Related words
gummy
adjective
Advanced or less common
gumminess
noun
Highlights
- Irregular present participle: gumming Verb
- Irregular past: gummed Verb
Expressions
bubble gum
1/bˈʌbəl ɡˈʌm/
fixed phrase
gum used to blow bubbles
A kind of chewing gum that is soft and stretchy, so you can blow bubbles with it.
Examples
- He loves pink bubble gum and can blow huge bubbles.
- The movie had a fun, bubble-gum pop soundtrack.
chewing gum
1/t͡ʃˈuɪŋ ɡˈʌm/
fixed phrase
sweet rubbery candy for chewing
A sweet, rubber-like candy that you chew to enjoy the taste or freshen your breath, but do not swallow.
Examples
- The school does not allow chewing gum in class.
- She bought a pack of mint chewing gum at the station.
gum disease
1/ɡˈʌm dɪzˈiz/
fixed phrase
disease affecting the gums
A health problem in your mouth when the gums around your teeth are infected or become weak.
Examples
- Smoking increases your risk of gum disease.
- Regular flossing helps prevent gum disease.
gum line
1/ɡˈʌm lˈaɪn/
fixed phrase
line where gums meet teeth
The place in your mouth where your gums meet your teeth.
Examples
- Plaque often builds up along the gum line.
- Brush gently near the gum line to avoid irritation.
gum tree
1/ɡˈʌm tɹˈi/
fixed phrase
eucalyptus tree producing gum
A kind of eucalyptus tree that lets out a sticky material from its trunk and branches.
Examples
- Koalas live in gum trees and eat their leaves.
- The road was lined with tall gum trees.
gum up
1/ɡˈʌm ˈʌp/
phrasal verb
cause something to stop working well
To make a machine, system, or process stop working well by blocking it or making it too complicated.
Examples
- If we change the software now, it could gum up the whole booking system.
- Sand got into the gears and gummed up the machine.
- Extra paperwork will only gum up the process.
gum up the works
1/ɡˈʌm ˈʌp ðə wˈɚks/
idiom
informal
seriously disrupt a process or system
To cause a plan, system, or process to have big problems or to stop working properly.
Examples
- One missing document can gum up the works for weeks.
- A small software bug gummed up the works and delayed the launch.
receding gums
1/ɹisˈidɪŋ ɡˈʌmz/
fixed phrase
gums that have pulled back
A problem when the pink part around your teeth moves back, so more of the tooth can be seen.
Examples
- He went to the dentist because he was worried about his receding gums.
- Receding gums can make your teeth more sensitive to hot and cold.
sugar-free gum
1/ʃˈʊɡɚ fɹˈi ɡˈʌm/
fixed phrase
chewing gum without sugar
Chewing gum that is made without sugar, often sweetened with other ingredients and better for your teeth.
Examples
- My dentist told me to chew sugar-free gum after meals.
- She prefers sugar-free gum to reduce the risk of cavities.