chum
1[ chuhm ]
/ tʃʌm /
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noun
a close or intimate companion: boyhood chums.
Older Use. a roommate, as at college.
verb (used without object), chummed, chum·ming.
to associate closely.
Older Use. to share a room or rooms with another, especially in a dormitory at a college or prep school.
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Origin of chum
1First recorded in 1675–85; of uncertain origin
Other definitions for chum (2 of 3)
chum2
[ chuhm ]
/ tʃʌm /
noun
cut or ground bait dumped into the water to attract fish to the area where one is fishing.
fish refuse or scraps discarded by a cannery.
verb (used without object), chummed, chum·ming.
to fish by attracting fish by dumping cut or ground bait into the water.
verb (used with object), chummed, chum·ming.
to dump chum into (a body of water) so as to attract fish.
to lure (fish) with chum: They chummed the fish with hamburger.
Origin of chum
2An Americanism dating back to 1855–60; of uncertain origin
Other definitions for chum (3 of 3)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use chum in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for chum (1 of 3)
chum1
/ (tʃʌm) /
noun
informal a close friend
verb chums, chumming or chummed
(intr usually foll by up with) to be or become an intimate friend (of)
(tr) Scot to accompanyI'll chum you home
Word Origin for chum
C17 (meaning: a person sharing rooms with another): probably shortened from chamber fellow, originally student slang (Oxford); compare crony
British Dictionary definitions for chum (2 of 3)
chum2
/ (tʃʌm) /
noun
angling, mainly US and Canadian chopped fish, meal, etc, used as groundbait
Word Origin for chum
C19: origin uncertain
British Dictionary definitions for chum (3 of 3)
chum3
/ (tʃʊm) /
noun
a Pacific salmon, Oncorhynchus keta
Word Origin for chum
from Chinook Jargon tsum spots, marks, from Chinook
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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