drumbeat

1 of 2

noun (1)

drum·​beat ˈdrəm-ˌbēt 

1

: a stroke on a drum or its sound

also : a series of such strokes

2

: vociferous advocacy of a cause

3

: drumfire sense 2

drumbeater

ˈdrəm-ˌbē-tər 

noun

drumbeating

ˈdrəm-ˌbē-tiŋ 

noun

drumbeater

2 of 2

noun (2)

: one that beats the drum for an idea, doctrine, or policy : a vociferous supporter of a cause

drumbeater for U.S. intervention in World War II

—Ralph de Toledano

Synonyms of drumbeat

Noun (1)

• barrage
• flurry

Examples of drumbeat in a Sentence

Noun (1)

I could hear the drumbeat of a parade down the street.

a dizzying drumbeat of interviews in the hours following her winning of the Academy Award

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The press run leaned heavily on the size of its ensemble to generate a steady drumbeat of coverage in the weeks before release. — Olivia Shalhoup, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026

Saturday’s match was missing the loud Latin passion and party atmosphere that South American teams’ fans would have brought; the near-constant singing and chanting to a steady pounding drumbeat. — Miami Herald, 12 July 2026

Googling his name on Thursday, two days out from the semi-final, even brought a special drumbeat and Norwegian emojis rowing across the screen. — Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 10 July 2026

There persists a steady drumbeat of concern Russia might open a new front in Europe. — Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 6 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1817, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1950, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for drumbeat

• amit
• athlete
• backseat
• blackfeet
• broadsheet
• browbeat
• buckwheat
• compete
• compleat
• complete
• conceit
• concrete

Kids Definition

drumbeat

noun

drum·​beat ˈdrəm-ˌbēt 

: a stroke on a drum or its sound