Bum Definition
bŭm
bummed, bummer, bummest, bumming, bums
noun
bums
A vagrant, hobo, tramp, or beggar; specif., a shabby, often drunken derelict.
Webster's New World
Any shiftless or irresponsible person, loafer, idler, etc.
Webster's New World
A devotee, as of golf or skiing, who devotes so much time to the sport as to disrupt family life, career, etc.
Webster's New World
An incompetent person, esp. an athlete.
Webster's New World
One who spends a lot of time doing a particular recreational activity.
A beach bum; a ski bum.
American Heritage
verb
bummed, bumming, bums
To live as a bum or vagrant.
Webster's New World
To live by begging or by sponging off people.
Webster's New World
To get by begging or sponging; cadge.
To bum a cigarette.
Webster's New World
To pass time idly; loaf. Often used with around.
American Heritage
To depress, dishearten, or dismay. Often used with out.
American Heritage
adjective
bummer, bummest
Inferior; worthless.
Gave me bum advice; did a bum job of fixing the car.
American Heritage
Poor in quality.
Bum cooking.
Webster's New World
False, erroneous, or invalid.
A bum steer, a bum rap.
Webster's New World
Disabled; malfunctioning.
A bum shoulder.
American Heritage
Unfavorable or unfair.
Got a bum deal on my final grade for the course.
American Heritage
idiom
on the bum
- Living as a vagrant or tramp.
- Out of order; broken.
American Heritage
bum someone out
- to upset, distress, annoy, depress, bore, etc. someone
Webster's New World
give (<i>or</i> get) the bum's rush
- to eject (or be ejected) forcibly
Webster's New World
on the bum
- living as a vagrant
- out of repair; broken
Webster's New World
Other Word Forms of Bum
Noun
Singular:
bum
Plural:
bumsAdjective
Idioms, Phrasal Verbs Related to Bum
- on the bum
- bum someone out
- give (or get) the bum's rush
- on the bum
Origin of Bum
Back-formation from bummer
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
Middle English bom
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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