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)
-
bums,
present (3rd person singular)
-
bummed,
past participle, past
-
bumming
present participle
-
to sponge on others for a living; lead an idle or dissolute life.
-
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.
-
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.
-
-
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
-
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
-
to spend time to no good purpose; loaf; idle
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slang to disappoint, annoy, or upset someone
adjective
-
(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
-
bumsimple
-
bumssimple
-
have bummedperfect
-
has bummedperfect
-
am bummingprogressive
-
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
-
were bummingprogressive
-
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:
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
When he substitutes a pitcher or a hitter and it works out, Dave is a hero, and when it doesn’t work out, Dave is a bum.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 4, 2026
While not a medical diagnosis, some users complain of how their body shape changes, including a deflated or saggy bum, dubbed Ozempic butt.
From BBC ● Jun. 8, 2026
Baker, a Dartmouth College grad and former ski bum who once worked as a housekeeper at a mountain lodge in Utah, started working at Fidelity in 1999 as an analyst.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
Saying these words makes my blood bum, but I force myself to go on.
From "The Queen of Water" by Laura Resau
“It’s a bummer because the photos were so unique and it was really cool to see them go viral,” she said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026
Pondering the potential heat death of humanity is a bummer of a way to start the week, I know.
From Slate ● Sep. 14, 2026
Alas, “Out of the Further” merely serves up exploding televisions and cut-rate smoke machines, making this seemingly menacing purgatory feel more like a bummer way station.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
She detects a generalized funk poisoning our existence and asks, not unreasonably, “What is with this bummer veil cast over everything fun or exciting?”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
He hadn’t gotten the information he needed, which was a real bummer.
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
Aspen has been soul-searching for half a century, since hippie ski bums began ceding ground to luxury real-estate developers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
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
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
But then, the bon ton, not content with padding only bums, moved the bustle round to the tummy at the front.
From Slate ● Jul. 21, 2025
Dasch was furious, calling them a "bunch of bums."
From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple
“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
"The level is crazy. I had to put a lot down to get here, but I am definitely bummed how we couldn't fully do a final," Brown told World Skate.
From BBC ● Mar. 9, 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
It always bummed me out that she could hear the anger but not the beauty in it like I did.
From "The First Rule of Punk" by Celia C. Pérez
“Before ChatGPT, my mom would call me, like, every week, and she’d be like, ‘Hey, you know you can stop like bumming around and go work at Google or something.’”
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 24, 2023
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
The NFL has squeezed its overtime period from 15 minutes to 10, bumming out some.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 28, 2021
"He was probably bumming his way home. He told me he was president of your class at Yale."
From " The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
