Meanings
adverbby gum (not comparable)
- New ZealandUKnot comparableminced oathby God
“You mean all’s lost?” I asked. “Aye, by gum, I do!” he answered.
1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island, London; Paris: Cassell & Company, published 14 November 1883, →OCLC1 more example
Couldn't hear the brass / Couldn't hear the drum / He was in a class by himself, by gum!
1937, Rodgers and Hart, “Johnny One Note”Synonyms: wow
Synonyms & antonyms
adverbby God
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Cite this entry
APA
by gum. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/by%20gum
MLA
“by gum.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/by%20gum. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “by gum,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/by%20gum.
Source: by gum on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.