Definition

1. Verb:
   • To gather closely together; to cluster; to huddle: Describes a group of people or things coming together into a tight, often small, group, typically for conversation, sharing, or a common purpose.
   • To congregate in a tight group: Implies an intimate or secretive gathering, often in a somewhat disorderly or spontaneous manner.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Lũ trẻ túm tụm lại xem một cuốn truyện tranh. (The children huddled together to look at a comic book.)
  • Mấy nhân viên túm tụm nói chuyện ở góc văn phòng. (The employees clustered together talking in the corner of the office.)
  • Những bông hoa túm tụm nở bên bờ tường. (The flowers clustered in bloom by the wall.)

Advanced Usage

• The word often carries a nuance of a cozy, informal, or conspiratorial gathering. It is frequently used to describe small groups engaged in private discussion or shared activity.

Variants and Related Words

• Tụm lại (v): to gather, to group together. A simpler, more general synonym.
  • Chúng tôi tụm lại để bàn kế hoạch. (We gathered to discuss the plan.)

Synonyms

• Huddle: to crowd together closely.
• Cluster: to gather or grow in a cluster.
• Congregate: to gather into a crowd or mass.
• Flock together: to come together as if in a flock.

Related Idioms

• Túm tụm năm ba người: to gather in small groups of three to five people.
  • Sau giờ học, sinh viên thường túm tụm năm ba người ở sân trường. (After class, students often gather in small groups of three to five in the schoolyard.)