sweet gum

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noun

a tall, aromatic tree, Liquidambar styraciflua, of the eastern U.S., having star-shaped leaves and fruits in rounded, burlike clusters.

the hard reddish-brown wood of this tree, used for making furniture.

the amber balsam exuded by this tree, used in the manufacture of perfumes and medicines.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Also called red gum (for defs. 1, 2).

Origin of sweet gum

An Americanism dating back to 1690–1700

Words nearby sweet gum

sweeten the kitty, sweet fern, sweet flag, sweet gale, sweet grass, sweet gum, sweetheart, sweetheart agreement, sweetheart contract, sweetheart neckline, sweetie

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use sweet gum in a sentence

On our way I saw Lejoillie eagerly eyeing the branches of a tree producing a sweet gum.
In the Wilds of Florida|W.H.G. Kingston
Sweet gum, walnut, or oak may be left in its natural state, and oiled to bring out the grain and finish.
Construction Work for Rural and Elementary Schools|Virginia McGaw
In the "flats" in certain parts of Jackson and Scott Counties it becomes a common tree, associated with pin oak and sweet gum.
Trees of Indiana|Charles Clemon Deam
Usually it is associated with such low ground species as pecan, sweet gum, swell-butt ash, and the cane.
Trees of Indiana|Charles Clemon Deam

Sweet gum should be one of the principal species in wet places of the woodlots of southern Indiana.
Trees of Indiana|Charles Clemon Deam

British Dictionary definitions for sweet gum

sweet gum

noun

a North American liquidambar tree, Liquidambar styraciflua, having prickly spherical fruit clusters and fragrant sap: the wood (called satin walnut) is used to make furnitureCompare sour gum

the sap of this tree

Often shortened to: red gum

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