bass drum
noun
plural bass drums
: a large drum that has two heads and produces a booming sound of low indefinite pitch
[The Beatles'] 18-year-old engineer Geoff Emerick transformed their sound by stuffing a sweater in Ringo's bass drum.—
Rob Sheffield
Rob SheffieldThunderous bass drums and tom-toms predominate, delivering an oscillating groove over which the composer's voice floats …—Tom Huizenga
see drum illustration
Tom HuizengaExamples of bass drum in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
McCartney and Lennon blast away on trumpets while Starr plays the bass drum and Harrison holds the cymbals.
—James Mercadante, EW.com, 24 Mar. 2025
Low frequencies correspond to deep sounds, like a bass drum; high frequencies correspond to sharp sounds, like a whistle.
—Jiaxin Zhong, The Conversation, 17 Mar. 2025
Disco music was notable for its stratified textures, anchored in the four-on-the-floor beat, which has the tendency to put the bass drum on every quarter note.
—Angelica Frey, JSTOR Daily, 23 Feb. 2025
Members of the group brought their flags from the tailgate into the stadium along with bass drums, doing their part to set the tone for home matches once the season begins.
—Kyle Kensing, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bass drum
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James Mercadante, EW.com, 24 Mar. 2025
Low frequencies correspond to deep sounds, like a bass drum; high frequencies correspond to sharp sounds, like a whistle.
—Jiaxin Zhong, The Conversation, 17 Mar. 2025
Disco music was notable for its stratified textures, anchored in the four-on-the-floor beat, which has the tendency to put the bass drum on every quarter note.
—Angelica Frey, JSTOR Daily, 23 Feb. 2025
Members of the group brought their flags from the tailgate into the stadium along with bass drums, doing their part to set the tone for home matches once the season begins.
—Kyle Kensing, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bass drum
Cite this Entry
“Bass drum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bass%20drum. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
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