bleacher bum

noun

US
: a sports fan and especially a baseball fan who frequently attends games and sits in the bleachers
From the grandstands, they saw bleacher bums sprawling in the sun beyond the outfield, …—Brent Staples, New York Times Magazine, 17 May 1987
He was born near Wrigley Field. And, says Bob (Chicago) Girsch, "I was a left-field bleacher bum for 15 years. I hung out with all the crazies."—Beth Ann Krier, Los Angeles Times, 14 Dec. 1989

Word History

First Known Use

1969, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bleacher bum was in 1969

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Rhymes for bleacher bum

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bleacher
bleacher bum
bleachery
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Cite this Entry

“Bleacher bum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bleacher%20bum. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.

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