drumbeat

noun

drum·​beat ˈdrəm-ˌbēt How to pronounce drumbeat (audio)
1
: a stroke on a drum or its sound
also : a series of such strokes
2
: vociferous advocacy of a cause
3
drumbeater noun
drumbeating noun

Examples of drumbeat in a Sentence

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
And while there has been a steady drumbeat of op-eds of late in certain legacy media outlets accusing Bluesky of being trapped in its own liberal bubble, Shiffman, for one, has few concerns about that. Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 27 Aug. 2025 Each inaccurate prediction should diminish these commentators’ credibility, and yet their incessant drumbeat of pessimism continues, lacking any context or fair and factual counter narrative. Joel Bines, Fortune, 22 Aug. 2025 And yet … There has been a steady, if subtle, drumbeat for Maye to take a step forward in 2025. Jake Ciely, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2025 Trump made his remarks in a lengthy Monday morning Truth Social post, which kept up his drumbeat against mail-in ballots. Al Weaver, The Hill, 18 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for drumbeat

Word History

First Known Use

1817, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of drumbeat was in 1817

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Drumbeat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/drumbeat. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

drumbeat

noun
drum·​beat ˈdrəm-ˌbēt How to pronounce drumbeat (audio)
: a stroke on a drum or its sound

More from Merriam-Webster on drumbeat

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!