[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/bum/)

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# bum

noun (a bum, bums); verb (bum, bums, bummed, bumming); adjective (bum, informal)

«bum» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. (informal, UK/Australia) Your bottom, the part you sit on. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/bum/#m1)
2. (informal, US) A homeless person or someone who will not work; can be unkind. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/bum/#m2)
3. (informal) A person who spends all their time on a hobby (a beach bum, a gym bum). [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/bum/#m3)
4. (slang) To bum something: to ask someone for it for free (bum a ride). [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/bum/#m4)
5. (slang, US) Bad or poor quality (a bum deal, a bum knee). [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/bum/#m5)
6. Bum can also be a deep booming sound, like a cannon or a drum. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/bum/#m6)

### In the lessons

In UK and Australian homes «bum» is a mild, childish word for bottom. In US slang it is more often an insult for a lazy or homeless person. Phrases: bum around (do nothing much), bum a lift, a bum deal, beach bum.

### Examples

- The baby fell on his bum. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/bum/#x1)
- Sit on your bum and stay still! (UK, informal) [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/bum/#x2)
- He spent the summer as a beach bum. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/bum/#x3)
- Can I bum a lift home? (slang) [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/bum/#x4)
- That's a bum deal; you paid too much. (US slang) [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/bum/#x5)
- I bummed around at home all Saturday. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/bum/#x6)
- Get off your bum and help! [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/bum/#x7)
- The whole city was illuminated in the evening, and the cannons went off with a bum! bum! and the soldiers presented arms. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/bum/#x8)

### Note

Mild but informal; in the UK not really rude, in the US calling someone a bum is an insult. Not for formal writing: say «bottom» or «buttocks» in science. «Bummed» (US slang) can also mean sad or disappointed.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «bum» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/bum/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«bum» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/bum.html) on Mova free.