bum
verb · noun
Simple meaning
Ask for and get free.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
buhmIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈbʌm
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
Ask for and get free; be a parasite
intransitivecolloquial
To stay idle and unproductive, like a hobo or vagabond.
Be lazy or idle
“Her son is just bumming around all day.”
To depress; to make unhappy.
intransitive
To make a murmuring or humming sound.
transitivecolloquial
To ask someone to give one (something) for free; to beg for something.
noun
colloquial
A drinking spree.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Ask for and get free; be a parasite
Used this way, bum is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Be lazy or idle.
Be lazy or idle.
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Words can change meaning depending on context.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.