Bum (Slang)

About

Bum is a slang term that has been used in various different contexts online for decades. Traditionally meant to mean someone who is lazy and doesn't have a job, the meaning has changed over the years as it has been adapted to different uses. The most prominent usage, and shift in meaning, started with LeBron James and his early career decisions and late career game performance.

Origin

Originally meaning someone who is lazy and doesn't work, or a freeloader, the word had a sudden shift in usage and meaning in 2010. As part of the media frenzy surrounding his departure from Cleveland to Miami, LeBron had suddenly acquired the nickname 'LeBum' overnight in Cleveland circles. When it came time for LeBron and the Miami Heat to face off against Cleveland on December 2nd, 2010, fans were seen with signs and shirts^[1] saying 'LeBum' on them, helping to spread the term across social media (shown below).

Spread

During the mid 2010s, Bum started to see usage in a more generalized sense, not being specifically about someone who is bad at their sport or profession, but meaning anyone who is a total failure. On May 31st, 2018, the rapper 50 Cent made a post^[2] on X that became popular on Black Twitter relating to Ja Rule and the infamous Fyre Festival, calling Ja a bum (shown below).

The phrase then had it's meaning change again leading into 2020, with it just being used as a filler word with a negative connotation. Often combined with the word 'ass' to make the phrase 'bum ass', it could be seen being used only when talking negatively about something, without having the original intention of it being about a person or sports icon. This can be seen in the X post by user @SheistyNYC on July 12th, 2020, which used it to talk about a car's exhaust^[3] and gained over 180,000 likes in four years (shown below).

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References