Word.ws English Dictionary

bum raps

bum raps is the plural of bum rap.

Meaning of bum rap

Noun

bum rap (plural bum raps)

  1. (slang) A false accusation, or an injustice, especially one that leads to imprisonment.
    • . . . going over the top of the wall of the Trenton prison, where I was sent on a bum rap.1918 October 7, “Hun Talk”, in Chicago Daily Tribune, page 17
  2. (idiomatic) An undeservedly unfavorable portrayal or reputation.
    • Orthopedic surgeon Robert Marx, with New York's Hospital for Special Surgery, says that findings from the current study should not give arthroscopic knee surgery a bum rap.2008 September 10, Patti Neighmond, “Study: Arthroscopic Surgery Provides Few Benefits”, in National Public Radio, retrieved 24 Mar 2009
    Synonyms:
    bad rap

Questions about bum raps

What is bum raps the plural of?
Bum raps is the plural of bum rap.

Words near bum raps in the dictionary

  1. bum hole
  2. bum note
  3. bum notes
  4. bum out
  5. bum rap
  6. bum raps
  7. bum roll
  8. bum rolls
  9. bum rush
  10. bum rushes
  11. bum sex

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: bum raps (page history and authors); bum rap (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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