gum up (something)
idiom
informal
: to prevent (something) from working or flowing properly
Don't use that paper with the copier; you'll gum it up.
The highway construction has really gummed up traffic.
The bearings are all gummed up with mud.
Examples of gum up (something) in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Even after Obama was reelected in 2012, Republicans retained control of the House and had enough clout to gum up Obama’s agenda.
—
Colbert I. King, Washington Post, 21 June 2024
Many of the mechanisms of Indian politics, including its protections for political dissent and independent judiciary, gum up the works of Modi’s ideological revolution.
—Zack Beauchamp, Vox, 22 May 2024
His return and insistence on taking the reins of the family business will only gum up the works.
—Andy Andersen, Vulture, 29 Feb. 2024
Given this geographic breadth, nationalist trade policies that limit cross-border exchange and investment could easily gum up the works.
—Inês Azevedo, Foreign Affairs, 13 Apr. 2020
Several marine experts had speculated that dirty fuel – a common problem in commercial vessels and one that can gum up an engine – could have played a role in the ship's power outage.
—Emily Le Coz, USA TODAY, 14 May 2024
These measures seem partly designed to gum up the ballot and discourage voters from supporting the real taxpayer protection measure.
—The Editorial Board, Orange County Register, 12 Apr. 2024
Academics point to a growing body of research that shows such contracts keep wages low and gum up labor markets.
—Julian Mark, Washington Post, 10 Mar. 2023
Biden’s effort could well be slowed if, as widely expected, Republicans take control of the Senate and gum up the confirmation works.
—Jackie Calmes, The Mercury News, 19 Mar. 2024
Colbert I. King, Washington Post, 21 June 2024
Many of the mechanisms of Indian politics, including its protections for political dissent and independent judiciary, gum up the works of Modi’s ideological revolution.
—Zack Beauchamp, Vox, 22 May 2024
His return and insistence on taking the reins of the family business will only gum up the works.
—Andy Andersen, Vulture, 29 Feb. 2024
Given this geographic breadth, nationalist trade policies that limit cross-border exchange and investment could easily gum up the works.
—Inês Azevedo, Foreign Affairs, 13 Apr. 2020
Several marine experts had speculated that dirty fuel – a common problem in commercial vessels and one that can gum up an engine – could have played a role in the ship's power outage.
—Emily Le Coz, USA TODAY, 14 May 2024
These measures seem partly designed to gum up the ballot and discourage voters from supporting the real taxpayer protection measure.
—The Editorial Board, Orange County Register, 12 Apr. 2024
Academics point to a growing body of research that shows such contracts keep wages low and gum up labor markets.
—Julian Mark, Washington Post, 10 Mar. 2023
Biden’s effort could well be slowed if, as widely expected, Republicans take control of the Senate and gum up the confirmation works.
—Jackie Calmes, The Mercury News, 19 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gum up (something).' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near gum up (something)
Cite this Entry
“Gum up (something).” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gum%20up%20%28something%29. Accessed 7 Jul. 2024.
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