an alcoholic liquor or spirit distilled from molasses or some other fermented sugar-cane product.
alcoholic drink in general; intoxicating liquor.
He warned against the demon rum.
odd, strange, or queer.
a rum fellow.
problematic; difficult; bad.
a rum situation.
First recorded in 1645–55; perhaps short for obsolete rumbullion, rumbustion, of obscure origin
First recorded in 1750–60; earlier rome, room “great,” of uncertain origin; perhaps from Romani; see Rom
An Americanism dating back to 1870–75; by shortening
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The first successful reintroduction of the birds began in 1975 on the Isle of Rum, in Scotland's Inner Hebrides.
From BBC • May 13, 2026
At the Pirates’ fan site Rum Bunter, Emma Lingan wrote: “Fandom isn’t a streaming subscription you cancel when the content gets bad.”
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 22, 2025
Josh Friedman is the chief executive of Dr. Squatch, a maker of products like Bay Rum soap and Pine Tar “Odor Squatching” deodorant, which was acquired by Unilever this year.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 27, 2025
Garten’s recipes for a Maple Pecan Pie and an Ultimate Pumpkin Pie with Rum Whipped Cream only include a bottom crust.
From Salon • Nov. 18, 2025
In the wake of Prohibition, many Americans were sick and tired of hearing about the dangers of Demon Rum, and the press coverage was largely sympathetic to Holm.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
