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
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As a hip-hop bass drum reverberated from the jubilant visitors locker room Saturday backstage at Moody Center, the host Texas Longhorns had no choice but to take their medicine.
—Cedric Golden, Austin American Statesman, 18 Jan. 2026
The sound design of his kick drums deserves special mention; rather than simple heartbeats or mere rhythmic anchors, his bass drums are dynamic agents, diving in pitch across their long sustain and decay.
—Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 14 Jan. 2026
Stehr, who will play the bass drum in the parade, said her high school band directors inspired her and shaped her career.
—Nicole Nielsen, CBS News, 20 Dec. 2025
Certainly, the Memphis titans Al Jackson and Howard Grimes knew how to hit their bass drum with authority.
—Literary Hub, 12 Nov. 2025
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Cedric Golden, Austin American Statesman, 18 Jan. 2026
The sound design of his kick drums deserves special mention; rather than simple heartbeats or mere rhythmic anchors, his bass drums are dynamic agents, diving in pitch across their long sustain and decay.
—Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 14 Jan. 2026
Stehr, who will play the bass drum in the parade, said her high school band directors inspired her and shaped her career.
—Nicole Nielsen, CBS News, 20 Dec. 2025
Certainly, the Memphis titans Al Jackson and Howard Grimes knew how to hit their bass drum with authority.
—Literary Hub, 12 Nov. 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 22 Jan. 2026.
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