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.

Big banks’ profit engines are humming along even as geopolitics keep threatening to gum up the works.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2026

The fact that some liquid in the tank is reacting to become a solid is probably what happened to gum up the valve leading into the tank.

From Los Angeles Times • May 23, 2026

“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

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

But the United States differs from Europe in ways that can gum up the mobility machine.

From "Class Matters" by The New York Times