chums

IPA/tʃʌm/
KK[tʃˈʌmz]IPA/tʃʌm/

chums — noun

  • chumssingular
  • chumsesplural

1. friends who know each other well and have usually known each other for a long ti

1.nounB2
Definition

friends who know each other well and have usually known each other for a long time

Example

Noa and Tariq have been chums since they built kites together in primary school.

be chums since childhood

Two old chums from Leeds still meet for tea every Sunday afternoon.

collocation: old chums

Common collocations
  • old chums
  • school chums
  • childhood chums
  • be chums
Synonyms
  • friends

    neutral and suitable in any context

  • pals

    informal and slightly more current in everyday speech

  • mates

    very common in British and Australian English

  • buddies

    informal, especially common in North American English

Antonyms
  • strangers

    people you do not know personally

  • enemies

    people who oppose or dislike each other

Grammar Patterns

be chums

old chums

school chums

Usage Note

Slightly old-fashioned and especially common in British English. It often suggests a friendship that began years earlier, especially at school.

Common Mistakes

The hotel chums carried our bags upstairs.
The hotel staff carried our bags upstairs.
'chums' refers to personal friends, not workers helping you in a professional role.

2. separate batches of chopped fish, meat, or similar matter that people throw into

2.nounC1
Definition

separate batches of chopped fish, meat, or similar matter that people throw into the sea to draw larger fish toward a boat

Example

The crew prepared two oily chums before the shark tour left the harbour.

countable use: separate bait batches

Adisa labelled the chums so the guide could test each bait mix.

different chums = different mixes

Common collocations
  • oily chums
  • label the chums
  • throw chums overboard
  • store chums on deck
Synonyms
  • bait

    broader term for food used to attract fish or animals

  • bait mixes

    plain description when separate prepared blends are meant

Grammar Patterns

prepare chums

throw chums overboard

Usage Note

The singular 'chum' is more common for the substance in general. The plural 'chums' is mainly used when people mean separate batches or different bait mixes.

Common Mistakes

The chums were circling under the cage.
The chums were drifting behind the cage.
in this sense 'chums' are bait batches, not live fish.

3. salmon from the North Pacific that have pink flesh and are often caught for food

3.nounC2
Definition

salmon from the North Pacific that have pink flesh and are often caught for food

Example

Fishermen in Alaska landed hundreds of chums during the late August run.

fishery report use: hundreds of chums

Esme bought smoked chums from a stall near the harbour in Juneau.

food use: smoked chums

Common collocations
  • smoked chums
  • catch chums
  • chums run upstream
  • three chums
Synonyms
  • chum salmon

    full common name and clearer outside fishing circles

  • dog salmon

    regional common name in Alaska and parts of Canada

  • keta

    name often used in seafood trade contexts

Grammar Patterns

catch chums

smoked chums

Usage Note

Fishing reports often use 'chums' for several fish together or for the species in general. Outside fishing contexts, 'chum salmon' is clearer for many readers.

Common Mistakes

The chums were dumped into the sea to lure sharks.
The chums were moving upstream to spawn.
in this sense 'chums' are salmon, not bait.

chums — verb

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'Chums', 'friends', 'pals', 'mates', and 'buddies' all describe people who enjoy each other's company, but they differ in tone and variety. 'Friends' is the neutral word and works everywhere. 'Chums' feels older, warmer, and a little British, and it often suggests people who have known each other for years, especially from school or early life. 'Pals' is also informal but sounds more current in American English, while 'mates' is the everyday choice in British and Australian speech. 'Buddies' sounds relaxed and modern, especially in North America. If two retired neighbours meet for tea every week, 'old chums' fits well; if two coworkers chat after lunch, 'friends' or 'buddies' usually sounds more natural.

chums ↗friends ↗pals ↗mates ↗buddies ↗

Etymology

English (university slang)coastal EnglishChinook Jargon

Chums is the plural form of the noun chum and also the third-person singular form of the verb. The friendship sense grew out of late seventeenth-century English university slang, where a chum was originally a roommate or close companion. The fishing bait sense and the related verb come from a different nineteenth-century coastal word, probably linked to a term for food scraps. The salmon sense came into English through Chinook Jargon in the Pacific Northwest. Modern English now uses the same spelling for three different historical lines.

First known use

1684

1684, in the meaning defined above Verb (1)