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

There’s been a steady drumbeat of streaming price hikes as companies over the last few years — and months — as companies moved away from a focus on subscriber additions to profitability. — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 23 Sep. 2026

Elsinore The drumbeat heading into Toronto was all about Andrew Scott’s lead performance as the actor Ian Charleson. — Joe Reid, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026

In Steyer’s case, that meant a regular drumbeat of posts that echoed the campaign’s talking points, like attacking rival Democrat Xavier Becerra for accepting a campaign contribution from Chevron. — Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 17 Sep. 2026

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s attempts to strong-arm the bond market have been drowned out by the Iran war’s steady drumbeat, with oil back above $100 a barrel. — Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 10 Sep. 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