What does chum mean?
A chum is an intimate friend or companion — someone with whom one shares time, confidence, or even living quarters. The word is informal and carries a warmly familiar tone, evoking loyalty and easy camaraderie rather than formal friendship. It arose in the late seventeenth century among university students as a shortened form of 'chamber fellow', meaning the person who shared one's room, and gradually broadened to mean any close friend. In British English it remains especially associated with school and university friendships ('my old school chums'), while American English favors it less, preferring 'buddy' or 'pal'. Chum also functions as a verb, meaning to keep company with someone ('they chummed around together'), and, separately, as a noun in North American angling, where 'chum' denotes chopped bait thrown into the water to lure fish. Its derivatives include the adjective 'chummy', describing a friendly or over-friendly manner. Few words so neatly capture casual, enduring companionship.
A close friend or companion; informally, a trusted associate one spends much time with.
"Her old chum from boarding school came to stay for the weekend."
Often slightly old-fashioned or affectionate when used of adults.
(usually with 'around' or 'up') To be a close companion of; to spend friendly time with someone.
"They chummed around together throughout their teens."
Always takes a preposition such as 'around' or 'up with'; informal.
In angling, chopped fish or other bait thrown into the water to attract larger fish (chiefly North American).
"The captain ladled chum over the side to draw the sharks near."
To scatter such bait into fishing waters (chiefly North American).
"We spent the afternoon chumming for striped bass."
Regular plural; commonly used in phrases like 'school chums' or 'an old chum'.
"All his old college chums turned up for the reunion."
The word 'chum' began life as a contraction of 'chamber fellow' — literally the person who shared your bedroom at university.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of chum
'Chum' originated as student slang in the late seventeenth century, a clipped form of 'chamber fellow' — the companion who shared one's room at Oxford or Cambridge. From this specific sense of roommate it widened over the eighteenth century to mean any intimate friend. A separate word, also spelled 'chum', is found in North American fishing vocabulary meaning chopped fish used as bait; its origin is obscure and possibly unrelated, though some suggest it may derive from a different source altogether.
Related word forms
How chum is actually used
Informal and warm in register, often affectionate or slightly old-fashioned when applied to adults ('an old chum'); very common in British usage for childhood or school friends. As a verb, 'chum around' or 'chum up with' describes casual companionship. The fishing senses are entirely separate in origin and are chiefly North American.
Easily confused with chum
A chump is a foolish or gullible person, while a chum is a close friend — similar spelling but nearly opposite connotation.
'Champ' means to chew noisily or refers to a champion, whereas 'chum' means a close friend.