bum
1 Americannoun
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a person who avoids work and sponges on others; loafer; idler.
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a tramp, hobo, or derelict.
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Informal. an enthusiast of a specific sport or recreational activity, especially one who gives it priority over work, family life, etc..
a ski bum; a tennis bum.
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Informal. an incompetent person.
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a drunken orgy; debauch.
verb (used with object)
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bums,
present (3rd person singular)
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bummed,
past participle, past
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bumming
present participle
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Informal. to borrow without expectation of returning; get for nothing; cadge.
He's always bumming cigarettes from me.
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Slang. to ruin or spoil.
The weather bummed our whole weekend.
verb (used without object)
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bums,
present (3rd person singular)
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bummed,
past participle, past
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bumming
present participle
-
to sponge on others for a living; lead an idle or dissolute life.
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to live as a hobo.
adjective
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Slang. of poor, wretched, or miserable quality; unsatisfactory.
I figured $300 was a bum deal for a minor repair, but I paid it anyway.
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Slang. fraudulent or fake.
He was accused of issuing a bum check for $2920.
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Slang. disappointing; unpleasant.
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Slang. erroneous or ill-advised; misleading.
I think the gauge is giving me a bum readout.
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Slang. physically disabled, impaired, or injured.
a bum leg.
verb phrase
idioms
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on the bum,
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living or traveling as or in a manner suggesting that of a hobo or tramp.
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in a state of disrepair or disorder.
The oven is on the bum again.
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-
bum (someone) out, to disappoint, upset, or annoy.
It really bummed me out that she could have helped and didn't.
noun
noun
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a disreputable loafer or idler
-
a tramp; hobo
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an irresponsible, unpleasant, or mean person
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a person who spends a great deal of time on a specified sport
baseball bum
-
-
living as a loafer or vagrant
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out of repair; broken
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verb
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(tr) to get by begging; cadge
to bum a lift
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to live by begging or as a vagrant or loafer
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to spend time to no good purpose; loaf; idle
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slang to disappoint, annoy, or upset someone
adjective
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(prenominal) of poor quality; useless
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wrong or inappropriate
a bum note
noun
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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bumsimple
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bumssimple
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have bummedperfect
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has bummedperfect
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am bummingprogressive
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are bummingprogressive
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is bummingprogressive
-
have been bummingperfect progressive
-
has been bummingperfect progressive
Past
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bummedsimple
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had bummedperfect
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was bummingprogressive
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were bummingprogressive
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had been bummingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of bum1
An Americanism first recorded in 1860–65; perhaps a shortening of or back formation from bummer 1; adjective senses of unclear relation to sense “loafer” and perhaps of distinct origin
Origin of bum2
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English bom; of uncertain origin
Explanation
Your bum is your bottom. This word can also be used to refer to a vagrant, although it's generally considered offensive or insensitive. Bum is a name sometimes given to a beggar or vagrant: someone who tries to bum change from you. This word can also be used as a general insult, as in "The Yankees are bums!" (if you're a Red Sox fan) or "The Red Sox are bums!" (if you're a Yankees fan). A false accusation is a bum rap. As a verb, bum is a term for lazing around, as in, "I didn't have any homework this afternoon, so I just bummed around and played video games."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Pearl Jam protested the practices of Columbia House, and the bum deal it gave artists, but made little headway as the club boomed to 16 million members in the 1990s.
From Salon ● Aug. 21, 2026
Along the breezy streets, you’ll find a tale of two eras: the town’s surf bum past and its glitzy present.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
"And the way he uses his bum to protect the ball... I show my own son that when he's playing football. It's such a bizarre thing to say, but it's such a crucial tool."
From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2026
Adrian thinks maybe she’s half a bum too.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
How much better it had smelled when Mosca made spaghetti, even if he always put too much salt in the water and let the sauce bum.
From "The Thief Lord" by Cornelia Funke
It’s been a bit of a bummer summer, especially on the men’s side, where injuries have tormented the field.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
While that data was more reliable, the $60 upcharge for the upper arm band is a bummer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
Certainly not from the game itself; basketball moves fast, and a bummer can become a bust in a blink.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2026
It’s a bit of a bummer that ad blocking only works with Lightway.
From Salon ● Mar. 13, 2026
“You’re a bummer, Jonesy. I’m gonna shoot some hoops.”
From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray
Say," he cried, "Snake's Fall is just the bummest location this side of the Sahara on a Sunday.
From The Son of his Father by Ridgwell Cullum
When it comes to engaging fans when bums are on seats, in stadiums or at home, there is a need to refine communication and marketing strategies.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Back then, Folger says, the rural western outpost was filled with "back-to-the-land hippies, college students, cowboys and ski bums".
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
I tried to get into the gym and, I don’t know, something about the gym environment really bums me out.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 12, 2025
The Pad was lambasted in the print-shop windows where caricaturists laid into all the ludicrous fashions: bums, breasts, bellies, skirts, hats, and hair.
From Slate ● Jul. 21, 2025
He had bums on his arms and face.
From "Fallen Angels" by Walter Dean Myers
“I’m both envious,” she said, “and a bit bummed out.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
“In the office, we actually get really bummed when we realize we’re having a conversation and we forgot to turn on Granola,” she says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
Bowen Yang is in a huge number of commercials these days, and every time I see him, I get a little more bummed out.
From Slate ● Feb. 8, 2026
"We were so bummed that we weren't able to be there at Fallon," says Kang in a rare moment of non-total positivity.
From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2025
I was bummed that he interrupted my practicing to ask for breakfast My own brother... and all he wanted was some oatmeal.
From "Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie" by Jordan Sonnenblick
We had this life that was mainly just bumming around on your bike and drinking coffee.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2023
Summing up his life in the mid-1980s, he wrote, “I was still bumming a ride on my Academy nomination.”
From New York Times ● Jul. 27, 2023
By the time the clock hit zeros, the Steelers were bumming and the Chiefs were celebrating.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 13, 2022
The NFL has squeezed its overtime period from 15 minutes to 10, bumming out some.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 28, 2021
I thought maybe I might stop in a phone booth and give old Jane Gallagher a buzz before I started bumming my way west, but I wasn't in the mood.
From "The Catcher in the Rye" by J. D. Salinger
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
