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# bum

«bum» in Mova's school dictionary: **Your bottom, the part you sit on** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

### part of speech

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

### meaning for a pupil

1) (informal, UK/Australia) Your bottom, the part you sit on. [tree →](https://md.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://md.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://md.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://md.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://md.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://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/bum/#m6)

### sense 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://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/bum/#x1)
- Sit on your bum and stay still! (UK, informal) [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/bum/#x2)
- He spent the summer as a beach bum. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/bum/#x3)
- Can I bum a lift home? (slang) [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/bum/#x4)
- That's a bum deal; you paid too much. (US slang) [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/bum/#x5)
- I bummed around at home all Saturday. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/bum/#x6)
- Get off your bum and help! [tree →](https://md.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://md.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.

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «bum» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/bum/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.