scum
Americannoun
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a film or layer of foul or extraneous matter that forms on the surface of a liquid.
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refuse or offscourings.
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a low, worthless, or evil person.
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such persons collectively; riffraff; dregs.
verb (used with object)
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to remove the scum from.
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to remove as scum.
verb (used without object)
noun
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a layer of impure matter that forms on the surface of a liquid, often as the result of boiling or fermentation
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the greenish film of algae and similar vegetation surface of a stagnant pond
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Also called: dross. scruff. the skin of oxides or impurities on the surface of a molten metal
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waste matter
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a worthless person or group of people
verb
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(tr) to remove scum from
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rare (intr) to form a layer of or become covered with scum
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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scumsimple
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scumssimple
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have scummedperfect
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has scummedperfect
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am scummingprogressive
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are scummingprogressive
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is scummingprogressive
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have been scummingperfect progressive
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has been scummingperfect progressive
Past
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scummedsimple
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had scummedperfect
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was scummingprogressive
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were scummingprogressive
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had been scummingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of scum
1200–50; Middle English scume < Middle Dutch schūme ( Dutch schuim ) foam; cognate with German Schaum foam
Vocabulary lists containing scum
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.
But not long after the job was complete, the paint began to visibly peel, and the gleaming waters promptly refilled with green pond scum.
From Barron's • Jun. 21, 2026
“I went through four years of hell by this scum that we had to deal with,” Trump said.
From Salon • Feb. 6, 2025
The first is a “caution” advisory, which indicates visitors can swim but should stay away from algae and scum in the water.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 22, 2024
For most people, the word “algae” evokes puddles of puke-brown scum.
From Science Magazine • May 21, 2024
“And you think we’re scum, do you?” screamed Gaunt, advancing on Ogden now, with a dirty yellow-nailed finger pointing at his chest.
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
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.
