rummy

¹ American  

[ruhm-ee] / ˈrʌm i /

noun

1. any of various card games for two, three, or four players, each usually being dealt seven, nine, or ten cards, in which the object is to match cards into sets and sequences.

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rummy ² American  

[ruhm-ee] / ˈrʌm i /

noun

rummies plural

1. Slang: Disparaging and Offensive. a habitual drinker of alcohol who is frequently intoxicated.

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adjective

1. of or like rum.

rummy ³ American  

[ruhm-ee] / ˈrʌm i /

adjective

Chiefly British Slang.

rummier, rummiest

1. odd; peculiar.

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rummy ¹ British  

/ ˈrʌmɪ /

noun

1. a slang word for drunkard

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adjective

1. of or like rum in taste or smell

rummy ² British  

/ ˈrʌmɪ /

noun

1. a card game based on collecting sets and sequences

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rummy ³ British  

/ ˈrʌmɪ /

adjective

1. another word for rum 2

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Etymology

Origin of rummy¹

An Americanism dating back to 1905–10; perhaps special use of rummy ³

Origin of rummy²

First recorded in 1840–45; rum ¹ + -y ¹

Origin of rummy³

First recorded in 1820–30; rum ² + -y ¹

Example Sentences

In his Jeeves stories, Bertie Wooster is briefly employed by a magazine called Milady's Boudoir, which was housed "in one of those rummy streets in the Covent Garden neighbourhood".

From BBC • Apr. 15, 2025

A friendship blossoms thanks to a shared affection for gin rummy, but Jones slowly reveals Fish’s tenderness, the possibility of romance spreading out in front of him.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 20, 2025

On a recent afternoon, Russian-speaking immigrants, many of them retirees, played dominoes and rummy at picnic tables in West Hollywood’s Plummer Park, nicknamed Gorky Park after Moscow’s famous green space.

From New York Times • Mar. 4, 2022

"She always thinks of others first, and she stays positive no matter what, even when I beat her at our favorite game of gin rummy!"

From Fox News • Dec. 28, 2021

MapleG: I like gin rummy, but my favorite card game is pinochle.

From "Doing Time Online" by Jan Siebold

Related Words

• drunkard