gumdrop

American  

[guhm-drop] / ˈgʌmˌdrɒp /

noun

• gumdrops
  plural

1. a small candy made of gum arabic, gelatin, or the like, sweetened and flavored.

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gumdrop British  

/ ˈɡʌmˌdrɒp /

noun

1. Also called (esp Brit): gum.  a small jelly-like sweet containing gum arabic and various colourings and flavourings

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• gumdrops
  plural

Etymology

Origin of gumdrop

An Americanism dating back to 1855–60; gum ¹ + drop

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

gumdrop gumdrops

Sprinkle in a bit of imagination and the hats can also be transformed into a cake, a cupcake and, yeah, even a gumdrop!

From Salon ● Apr. 15, 2023

“He’s an ideas man who’s never touched a machine. He just tumbles into the inventing room and says something like, ‘Oh, what about a gumdrop that makes children dream silly dreams?’

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2021

There, we boarded a banana boat for a one-hour ride past shallow reefs and gumdrop specks of land until we reached a lagoon and Matava, a minimalist resort where we planned to stay two nights.

From New York Times ● Oct. 24, 2018

There’s a bit of art, joy and goofiness in every gumdrop he creates.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 9, 2018

I found a gumdrop and a candy cigarette and a fancy button.

From "Milkweed" by Jerry Spinelli

Plus: Does anyone really like nibbling desiccated gumdrops?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 5, 2025

But that doesn’t mean it’s gumdrops, rainbows and good vibes only.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 19, 2023

Three months later, on a cold December day, we bought a tree together and decorated it with strands of popcorn and gumdrops.

From Salon ● Dec. 3, 2022

And how catastrophic would it be if, as the children’s tune goes, all the raindrops were lemon drops and gumdrops?

From Washington Post ● Sep. 12, 2022

Time after time, it dipped in and out of the candy counter: peppermint sticks, jawbreakers, horehound, and gumdrops.

From "Where the Red Fern Grows" by Wilson Rawls