bum
bum Lexical Profile
bum Game Scores & Validity
• noun
British The buttocks (used informally).
"The toddler slipped on the icy pavement and landed squarely on his bum."
North American A person who avoids work and subsists by begging or depending on others; a vagrant or loafer.
"After losing his job, he was terrified of being labeled a lazy bum by his judgmental relatives."
North American An enthusiast who devotes a great deal of time to a specified recreational activity, often neglecting conventional employment.
"He spent his twenties living in a coastal van as a carefree surf bum."
• verb
North American To obtain or ask for something from someone without paying or intending to return it; to cadge.
"He tried to bum a ride home from his coworker after his car broke down."
North American To disappoint, depress, or upset someone (often used with 'out').
"Canceling the weekend camping trip because of the rain really bummed everyone out."
To travel or spend time idly and without a fixed purpose or destination.
"After graduating from college, they spent six months bumming around Europe with only a backpack."
• adjective
North American Of poor quality, defective, false, or disappointing.
"The hiker had to turn back early because of a bum knee that flared up on the steep trail."
Word Nuance & Usage
In British and Commonwealth English, 'bum' primarily refers to the buttocks, whereas in American English it primarily denotes a vagrant, a lazy person, or something of poor quality.
• Rhymes for bum
Word Origin & Etymology
The anatomical sense dates back to Middle English (likely of imitative or dialectal origin for a protuberance), while the American sense meaning a vagrant or loafer emerged in the mid-19th century as a shortening of 'bummer', from German 'Bummler' (loafer).