# rum

/ˈɹəm/ (US) · /ɹˈʌm/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/rum
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. alcoholic drink

noun · CEFR B1

a strong alcoholic drink made from sugarcane or molasses.

For teachers: a distilled spirit produced from sugarcane byproducts, such as molasses or honey, or directly from sugarcane juice.

- The sailor ordered a glass of dark rum at the bar.
- The distillery specialises in aged rums, using charred oak barrels to impart a complex smoky flavour to the spirit.

### 3. strange or odd

adjective · CEFR C1 · British English · Informal

strange, unusual, or slightly suspicious.

For teachers: peculiar, odd, or queer in nature. This sense is primarily British and increasingly rare in modern speech.

- It was a rum start to the day when the car wouldn't start and the cat went missing.
- He had a rum look about him, as if he were hiding a secret that he wasn't quite ready to share with the rest of the group.

Teaching tip: This usage is quite dated; learners will mostly encounter it in older British literature or films.

## Examples

- He ordered a glass of dark rum at the bar.
- The recipe calls for a splash of aged rum to enhance the flavor of the cake.
- Historically, the production and trade of rum were central to the economy of the Caribbean, influencing global maritime routes and colonial power dynamics for centuries.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.