gum

/ɡʌm/
noun
  1. A sticky substance that comes from some trees and plants, used in making glue, candy, and other products.
    • The artist used gum arabic to bind the paint pigments.
    • Ancient people chewed tree gum as a kind of early candy.
    • The tree's gum was collected and used to make natural glue.
  2. A sweet, chewy candy that you can blow bubbles with or chew for a long time.
    • He always keeps a pack of gum in his backpack.
    • She offered me a piece of mint gum after lunch.
    • The child blew a huge bubble with her pink bubble gum.
  3. The firm pink flesh inside your mouth that surrounds the base of your teeth.
    • His gum was sore where the tooth had been pulled.
    • Brushing your teeth helps keep your gums healthy.
    • The dentist said my gums looked a little inflamed.
  4. A type of tree that produces a sticky substance, especially eucalyptus or other trees in the myrtle family.
    • The scent of gum trees filled the air after the rain.
    • Koalas eat the leaves of certain gum trees.
    • The gum tree stood tall in the Australian outback.
Synonyms
verb
  1. To apply or spread a sticky substance on something.
    • They gummed the stamps onto the package.
    • The child gummed the pieces of paper together for her art project.
    • He gummed the envelope shut before mailing it.
  2. To cause something to become stuck or unable to move properly, often with a sticky substance.
    • The rain gummed the pages of the book together.
    • Too much syrup gummed the machine's moving parts.
    • The old glue gummed up the gears of the toy.