Definition

A small, sweet candy that is often colorful and chewy, made from ingredients like gelatin or gum arabic and usually coated in sugar.

Example

The children enjoyed a bag of gumdrops at the party.

Conversation

I bought a bag of gumdrops from the store yesterday.

Nice! Those are my favorite candies.

I love how chewy they are and how many flavors there are.

Totally! I could snack on gumdrops all day long.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Gumdrop → The word is formed from "gum" (from Middle English *gomme*, meaning a sticky substance) and "drop" (from Old English *dropa*, meaning a small amount of liquid). A gumdrop is a small, chewy candy made from a sticky substance, shaped like a drop.

Memory Tip

Think of a 'sticky substance' ('gum') that is shaped like a 'small amount of liquid' ('drop') — that's what a gumdrop is!

Visually Confused Words