gum up

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

There are three specific cases, however, where changing course halfway through does gum up the works, and you’re better off leaving things as they are, the experts say.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 23, 2026

He said plastic bags are problematic for material recovery facilities where they are known to gum up machinery.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 3, 2024

Although it doesn’t gum up the works, why keep Harpagon as a male character, for example, and make Cleante a female one?

From New York Times • May 3, 2024

Malformed proteins not only fail to carry out their tasks, they can accumulate and eventually gum up the inner workings of cells.

From Science Daily • Apr. 30, 2024

Their noses drip, their throats gum up, their eyes are rimmed with red.

From "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson