A gumdrop is a small, soft, chewy sweet, often like a little dome or a thick drop, in a fruit colour, and often rolled in sugar so it does not stick. You chew it. It is not chocolate, not a hard boiled sweet, and not a round gumball from a machine. The word is especially American. In looser talk people may call any small fruit gum a gumdrop, though actually a classic gumdrop is a bit firmer and more starchy than a very wobbly jelly sweet. You meet them in jars, in holiday dishes, and as cake decorations.