definitions

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RELATED WORDS

laze, loll, trek, traipse, ramble, stray, drift, prowl, tramp, meander, saunter, stroll, loiter, procrastinate, mosey, trifle, lie, stall, slack, relax

Nearby words

bulrush, bultmann, bulwark, bulwer, bulwer-lytton, bum, bum around, bum bag, bum out, bum rap, bum steer

Idioms

    bum (someone) out, Slang. to disappoint, upset, or annoy: It really bummed me out that she could have helped and didn't.
    on the bum, Informal.
    1. living or traveling as or in a manner suggesting that of a hobo or tramp.
    2. in a state of disrepair or disorder: The oven is on the bum again.

Origin of bum

1
1860–65, Americanism; perhaps shortening of or back formation from bummer1; adj. senses of unclear relation to sense “loafer” and perhaps of distinct orig.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for bum around (1 of 2)

bum

1
/ (bʌm) /

noun

British slang the buttocks or anus

Word Origin for bum

C14: of uncertain origin

British Dictionary definitions for bum around (2 of 2)

bum

2
/ (bʌm) informal /

noun

verb bums, bumming or bummed

adjective

(prenominal) of poor quality; useless
wrong or inappropriatea bum note

Word Origin for bum

C19: probably shortened from earlier bummer a loafer, probably from German bummeln to loaf
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with bum around (1 of 2)

bum around

1

Loaf, wander idly, as in After graduating he decided to bum around Europe for a year. [Mid-1800s]

2

Frequent bars or nightclubs, as in Her father accused her of bumming around half the night and threatened to cut off her allowance. In the mid-1800s to bum was slang for going on a drinking spree. A century later, with the addition of around, it simply meant going to saloons or clubs.

Idioms and Phrases with bum around (2 of 2)

bum

In addition to the idioms beginning with bum

  • bum around
  • bum out
  • bum rap
  • bum steer

also see:

  • on the blink (bum)
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.