What does "chum" mean?
A friend; a pal.
Chum
/t͡ʃʌm/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A friend; a pal.
- Grammar: chum is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: buddy, pal, ace, amigo.
- Useful contrasts: alienate, enemy, estrange.
- Usage evidence: To attract sharks, scientists prepare a special bloody bait concoction known as "chum".
How to use "chum"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "chum" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "chum" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "chum" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "chum" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "chum" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "buddy" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "chum", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A friend; a pal. dated
"He looked down upon the girl beside him—a daughter of the desert walking across the face of a dead world with a son of the jungle. He smiled at the thought. He wished that he had had a sister, and that she had been like this girl. What a bully chum she would have been!"
- 2 A mixture of (frequently rancid) fish parts and blood, dumped into the water as groundbait to attract predator fish, such as sharks. Canada, US, uncountable
"Near-synonym: shark bait"
- 3 A coarse mould for holding the clay while being worked on a whirler, lathe or manually.
"...self-supporting chum within the mould normally of corresponding and almost the same but lesser contour, whereby a space is provided between the chum and mould for the introduction of the powdered material and means for expanding the chum'."
- 4 Synonym of chum salmon.
- 5 A temporary dwelling used by the nomadic Uralic reindeer herders of northwestern Siberia.
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 a large Pacific salmon with small spots on its back; an important food fish wordnet
- 7 A roommate, especially in a college or university. dated
"Field had a 'chum,' or room-mate, whose visage was suggestive to the 'Sophs;' it invited experiment; it held out opportunity for their peculiar deviltry."
- 8 bait consisting of chopped fish and fish oils that are dumped overboard to attract fish wordnet
- 9 a close friend who accompanies their buddies in their activities wordnet
Verb
- 1 To share rooms with someone; to live together. intransitive
"Henry Wotton and John Donne began to be friends when, as boys, they chummed together at Oxford, where Donne had gone at the age of twelve years."
- 2 To cast chum into the water to attract fish. ambitransitive
"He began to chum for sharks, using whale oil and chopped whale meat."
- 3 To lodge (somebody) with another person or people. transitive
- 4 To make friends; to socialize. intransitive
"I was not surprised to see somebody sitting aft, on the deck, with his legs dangling over the mud. You see I rather chummed with the few mechanics there were in that station, whom the other pilgrims naturally despised—on account of their imperfect manners, I suppose."
- 5 To accompany. Scotland, informal, transitive
"I'll chum you down to the shops."
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Example
"To attract sharks, scientists prepare a special bloody bait concoction known as "chum"."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "chum"?
Common synonyms include: buddy, pal, ace, amigo, associate, associate with.
How do you use "chum" in a sentence?
To attract sharks, scientists prepare a special bloody bait concoction known as "chum".
How do you pronounce "chum"?
Pronounced /t͡ʃʌm/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
1675–85; of uncertain origin, possibly from cham, shortening of chambermate, or from comrade. Less likely from Welsh cymrawd (“fellow”), compare brawd (“brother”).
Etymology 2
Originally American English, from the 1850s. Perhaps from Powhatan.
Etymology 3
From Chinook Jargon tzum (“spotted, marked”), from Chinook.
Etymology 4
From Russian чум (čum), from Komi-Zyrian чум (ćum) and/or Udmurt чум (ćum, “tent, shelter”).
Etymology 5
Borrowed from Czech.