chewing gum

American

[choo-ing] / ˈtʃu ɪŋ /

noun

a sweetened and flavored preparation for chewing, usually made of chicle.

chewing gum British

noun

a preparation for chewing, usually made of flavoured and sweetened chicle or such substitutes as polyvinyl acetate

"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

Etymology

Origin of chewing gum

An Americanism dating back to 1755–65

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:

chewing gum

Researchers have developed a bioengineered chewing gum that may offer a new way to target microbes associated with head and neck cancer.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 4, 2026

The research team now plans to conduct a larger study involving athletes to further examine how sugary chewing gum affects nitrate metabolism, blood pressure, and exercise performance.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 15, 2026

Captain Maro Itoje was the best he has been in this tournament, as tough to shift as week-old chewing gum over the breakdown.

From BBC ● Mar. 14, 2026

They have allowed Mars to design a thinner-walled bottle for its Extra brand chewing gum that reduced development time by 40% and saved 246 tons of plastic.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 24, 2026

He oiled himself with warm, peppered coconut oil, kneading his old, loose flesh that stretched willingly off his bones like chewing gum.

From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023