gumball

American  

[guhm-bawl] / ˈgʌmˌbɔl /

noun

1. a brightly colored ball of sugar-coated chewing gum.

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Etymology

Origin of gumball

An Americanism dating back to 1880–85; gum ¹ + ball ¹

Example Sentences

That comment appeared to refer to part of the sheriff's report that said Jackson tried to care for the patient by putting a gumball in her mouth as a way to elevate blood sugar.

From Salon • Aug. 15, 2023

Other victims came in often, and Gonzalez said she often gave them quarters for the restaurant’s gumball machines.

From Washington Post • May 25, 2022

If the image of adjustables reminds you of those gumball machine rings that pinch like little crabs, consider this: Beyoncé, Lizzo, Saweetie and Lady Gaga have all been seen in Ms. Bunn’s sparkly wares.

From New York Times • Apr. 27, 2022

Here, the sun can drop into the water like a nickel into a gumball machine, like a nickel into L.A.’s earliest Kinetoscope machines, in a parlor on Spring Street downtown, 125 years ago.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 18, 2022

“I did not get it out of a gumball machine,” Marigold growled.

From "A Tangle of Knots" by Lisa Graff