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.
“Making it easier and less costly for insurers to deny claims, or for patients to file potentially dubious claims, could further gum up an already overloaded system rather than smoothing out the process.”
From MarketWatch • Oct. 21, 2025
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
