gumdrop

American

[guhm-drop] / ˈgʌmˌdrɒp /

noun

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

gumdrop British

/ ˈɡʌmˌdrɒp /

noun

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

"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 gumdrop

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

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.

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

Holiday decorations: Designers display greenery, macarons, antique Czech ornaments, gumdrop trees and more.

From New York Times • Dec. 3, 2022

“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

His camera found, among other things: boots from Bhutan striped with a multicolored gumdrop design.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 24, 2021

Jessie set aside the octane gumdrop molecule she had started on and grabbed a piece of paper and a pen.

From "The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street" by Karina Yan Glaser

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