Illustration of drum
- 1 bass
- 2 snare (orchestra)
- 3 snare (parade)
1
: a percussion instrument consisting of a hollow shell or cylinder with a drumhead stretched over one or both ends that is beaten with the hands or with some implement (such as a stick or wire brush)
3
: the sound of a drum
also
: a sound similar to that of a drum
4
: any of various chiefly marine bony fishes (family Sciaenidae) that make a drumming or croaking noise using their air bladder and associated muscles
5
: something resembling a drum in shape: such as
a(1)
: any of the cylindrical blocks that form the shaft of a column
(2)
: a round wall or structure that supports a dome
b
: a cylindrical machine or mechanical device or part
c
: a cylindrical container
specifically
: a large usually metal container for liquids
a 55-gallon drum
d
: a disk-shaped magazine for an automatic weapon
drummed; drumming
1
: to make a succession of strokes or vibrations that produce sounds like drumbeats
2
: to beat a drum
3
: to throb or sound rhythmically
4
: to stir up interest : solicit
1
: to summon or enlist by or as if by beating a drum
were drummed into service
2
: to dismiss ignominiously : expel
—usually used with out
3
: to drive or force by steady effort or reiteration
drummed the speech into her head
4
a
: to strike or tap repeatedly
b
: to produce (rhythmic sounds) by such action
Word Icons
Synonyms
Examples of drum in a Sentence
Noun (1)
an oil drum
Verb
She drummed while he played the guitar.
Her fingers drummed nervously on the table.
He was nervously drumming a pencil on the desk.
Recent Examples on the Web
Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press, 15 May 2024
And even that uranium still sits within 120 black drums inside shipping containers at Zuuvch-Ovoo, since Orano hasn’t been granted an export license.
—TIME, 14 May 2024
For Jones, minimalism offers a subversive aesthetic strategy, coded like the talking drums of her enslaved ancestors.
—Adam Bradley, New York Times, 10 May 2024
As the ceremony started, Mr. Bazile smiled and moved to the beat of the drums while dancers twirled nearby, their long earrings swaying to the rhythm.
—Dánica Coto, The Christian Science Monitor, 10 May 2024
Zak Starkey, 58, has played drums with iconic acts like The Who, Oasis and Yoko Ono, and co-founded the record label Trojan Jamaica.
—John Russell, Peoplemag, 9 May 2024
Famous among rock fans for his work in the recording studio with the likes of Nirvana and the Pixies — and for his own bands Shellac and Big Black — Albini was known for harsh guitars and booming drums presented with none of the sweetening that can make a rock record sound like a candyland.
—Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2024
Day and the musicians — guitar, bass, drums, two keyboards and three backing singers, somehow jammed onto the Blue Note’s small stage — were loose but tight like a great jazz/R&B band should be, taking flashy but unostentatious solos and incorporating other songs into her new ones.
—Jem Aswad, Variety, 7 May 2024
Big Black, whose sound mixed guttural, distorted vocals, pounding industrial drums and buzzing guitars, never had a manager, booked their own tours and broke up on the eve of their second album’s release.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 8 May 2024
Miguel Torres, The Arizona Republic, 9 May 2024
The video starts with the singer standing in the back dancing while watching Rennie David drum along with Foster, 74, on the piano.
—Liza Esquibias, Peoplemag, 27 Feb. 2024
Born in Bristol, CT in 1954, LeBlanc also had a robust solo career, drumming on tracks for English producer Adrian Sherwood’s On-U Sound productions.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 9 Apr. 2024
Riley Robinson/Staff People dance to drum music on Church Street April 7, 2024, in Burlington, Vermont, as part of a city-wide celebration of Monday’s solar eclipse.
—Riley Robinson, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Apr. 2024
The results suggested that syncing brain waves in the beta band, which is linked with motor functions, enhanced the ability of participants to synchronize their body movements — in this case, drumming a rhythm with their fingers.
—Quanta Magazine, 28 Mar. 2024
Advertisement One of the few musicians anywhere whose credits include drumming with big band legend Lionel Hampton and free-jazz bassist William Parker, Moran formed Slavic Soul Party!
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Dec. 2023
The musician who glues the skin on his knuckles together after drumming too hard.
—Amy Kaufman, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2023
Barker was also joined by his bandmates Mark Hoppus and Tom DeLonge onstage and drumming away while performing in Australia.
—Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 3 Mar. 2024
Noun
Hubbard said she was awakened by their chants that were shouted through a bullhorn to the beat of a drum.
—Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press, 15 May 2024
And even that uranium still sits within 120 black drums inside shipping containers at Zuuvch-Ovoo, since Orano hasn’t been granted an export license.
—TIME, 14 May 2024
For Jones, minimalism offers a subversive aesthetic strategy, coded like the talking drums of her enslaved ancestors.
—Adam Bradley, New York Times, 10 May 2024
As the ceremony started, Mr. Bazile smiled and moved to the beat of the drums while dancers twirled nearby, their long earrings swaying to the rhythm.
—Dánica Coto, The Christian Science Monitor, 10 May 2024
Zak Starkey, 58, has played drums with iconic acts like The Who, Oasis and Yoko Ono, and co-founded the record label Trojan Jamaica.
—John Russell, Peoplemag, 9 May 2024
Famous among rock fans for his work in the recording studio with the likes of Nirvana and the Pixies — and for his own bands Shellac and Big Black — Albini was known for harsh guitars and booming drums presented with none of the sweetening that can make a rock record sound like a candyland.
—Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2024
Day and the musicians — guitar, bass, drums, two keyboards and three backing singers, somehow jammed onto the Blue Note’s small stage — were loose but tight like a great jazz/R&B band should be, taking flashy but unostentatious solos and incorporating other songs into her new ones.
—Jem Aswad, Variety, 7 May 2024
Big Black, whose sound mixed guttural, distorted vocals, pounding industrial drums and buzzing guitars, never had a manager, booked their own tours and broke up on the eve of their second album’s release.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 8 May 2024
Verb
The group of almost 20 demonstrators chanted, waved flags and drummed in front of families and students entering the stadium.
—Miguel Torres, The Arizona Republic, 9 May 2024
The video starts with the singer standing in the back dancing while watching Rennie David drum along with Foster, 74, on the piano.
—Liza Esquibias, Peoplemag, 27 Feb. 2024
Born in Bristol, CT in 1954, LeBlanc also had a robust solo career, drumming on tracks for English producer Adrian Sherwood’s On-U Sound productions.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 9 Apr. 2024
Riley Robinson/Staff People dance to drum music on Church Street April 7, 2024, in Burlington, Vermont, as part of a city-wide celebration of Monday’s solar eclipse.
—Riley Robinson, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Apr. 2024
The results suggested that syncing brain waves in the beta band, which is linked with motor functions, enhanced the ability of participants to synchronize their body movements — in this case, drumming a rhythm with their fingers.
—Quanta Magazine, 28 Mar. 2024
Advertisement One of the few musicians anywhere whose credits include drumming with big band legend Lionel Hampton and free-jazz bassist William Parker, Moran formed Slavic Soul Party!
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Dec. 2023
The musician who glues the skin on his knuckles together after drumming too hard.
—Amy Kaufman, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2023
Barker was also joined by his bandmates Mark Hoppus and Tom DeLonge onstage and drumming away while performing in Australia.
—Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 3 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'drum.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near drum
Cite this Entry
“Drum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/drum. Accessed 23 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
drum
1 of 2 noun1
: a musical percussion instrument consisting of a hollow cylinder with a thin layer of material (as animal skin or plastic) stretched over one or both ends that is beaten with a stick or with the hands
2
: the sound of a drum
also
: a similar sound
3
: a drum-shaped object: as
a
: a cylindrical mechanical device or part
b
: a cylindrical container
oil drums
c
: a disk-shaped ammunition container that may be attached to a firearm
drum
2 of 2 verb
drummed; drumming
1
: to beat or play on or as if on a drum
3
: to call or gather together by or as if by beating a drum
drum up business
4
: to dismiss in shame : expel
drummed out of the army
5
: to drive or force by steady effort or repetition
drummed the lesson into their heads
6
: to strike or tap repeatedly so as to produce rhythmic sounds
drummed the table with his fingers
Medical Definition
drum
nounLove words? Need even more definitions?
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