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
Synonyms
Examples of drum in a Sentence
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
Melissa Noel, Essence, 8 Sep. 2023
Steve Jordan, who’s played drums on tour with the Stones of late, performs on the album, though the band said Watts appears on two cuts.
—Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2023
Six and Cox persuaded Gage to play drums; on bass was a guy named Jim Evans, a 41-year-old musician who brought a slow, steady pacing to the band’s sound.
—Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 6 Sep. 2023
The track has additional drum engineering by Evan Bernard, and it was mixed by Steve Evetts and mastered by Alan Douches.
—Matthew Strauss, Pitchfork, 5 Sep. 2023
His drum beats rattle and scatter and swell, the sound bouncing off of rock.
—Sarah Matusek, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 Sep. 2023
In the past, shows have included drum cameos from Travis Barker, Julia Fox (on and off the runway), Kimora Lee Simmons cheering on daughter Aoki and Janet Jackson pop-ups.
—Naledi Ushe, USA TODAY, 4 Sep. 2023
On Saturday, a standing crowd instinctually hushed to hear the bass solos and drum brush outros of saxophonist Roy McGrath’s quartet, at a stage hosted by radio station WDCB 90.9-FM.
—Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 4 Sep. 2023
The soundtrack, credited solely to McCartney, and on which Starr plays drums on multiple songs, hit No. 21 on the Billboard 200.
—Jim Asker, Billboard, 28 Aug. 2023
Matthew Strauss, Pitchfork, 23 Aug. 2023
Take, for instance, a thrilling music and dance performance by artists who drummed, stomped, chanted, and hip-shook their way against purple skies, melting our inhibitions and raising the energy level of the whole camp.
—Kathryn Romeyn, Travel + Leisure, 17 July 2023
While Zeke was drumming on television, his father was helping a new country gain its footing on the international stage.
—Andrew Holter, Rolling Stone, 15 July 2023
Cut to a video of LeAnn and Eddie drumming and boxing, adding in things like squat jumps while drumming, following by throwing punches at a bag.
—Korin Miller, Women's Health, 25 Apr. 2023
The carousel also includes sweet PDA shots of Barker kissing and pretending to drum on his wife's baby bump.
—Chelsey Sanchez, Harper's BAZAAR, 6 July 2023
In one photo, Barker is seen pretending to drum on Kardashian’s belly, while others show the two of them embracing.
—Ashley Iasimone, Billboard, 18 June 2023
Justis and her classmates have made do playing rudimentary instruments, like the recorder, and drumming on upturned 5-gallon plastic buckets from Home Depot.
—Deanna Pan, BostonGlobe.com, 15 June 2023
While some military laws directly criminalized homosexual activity, other statutes were used as cover charges to drum gay men and women out of the service, meaning these numbers may only reveal a fraction of the true toll.
—Jessica Kegu, CBS News, 21 June 2023
See More
Noun
The spellings or chants coupled with the sound of the conch shells and a symphony of sound created by the base, the coupé, and cutter drums create the soundtrack of the Jab.
—Melissa Noel, Essence, 8 Sep. 2023
Steve Jordan, who’s played drums on tour with the Stones of late, performs on the album, though the band said Watts appears on two cuts.
—Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2023
Six and Cox persuaded Gage to play drums; on bass was a guy named Jim Evans, a 41-year-old musician who brought a slow, steady pacing to the band’s sound.
—Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 6 Sep. 2023
The track has additional drum engineering by Evan Bernard, and it was mixed by Steve Evetts and mastered by Alan Douches.
—Matthew Strauss, Pitchfork, 5 Sep. 2023
His drum beats rattle and scatter and swell, the sound bouncing off of rock.
—Sarah Matusek, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 Sep. 2023
In the past, shows have included drum cameos from Travis Barker, Julia Fox (on and off the runway), Kimora Lee Simmons cheering on daughter Aoki and Janet Jackson pop-ups.
—Naledi Ushe, USA TODAY, 4 Sep. 2023
On Saturday, a standing crowd instinctually hushed to hear the bass solos and drum brush outros of saxophonist Roy McGrath’s quartet, at a stage hosted by radio station WDCB 90.9-FM.
—Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 4 Sep. 2023
The soundtrack, credited solely to McCartney, and on which Starr plays drums on multiple songs, hit No. 21 on the Billboard 200.
—Jim Asker, Billboard, 28 Aug. 2023
Verb
Taylor Hawkins’ son, Shane, also drummed during the set, as did Gregg Bissonette and Stephen Perkins.
—Matthew Strauss, Pitchfork, 23 Aug. 2023
Take, for instance, a thrilling music and dance performance by artists who drummed, stomped, chanted, and hip-shook their way against purple skies, melting our inhibitions and raising the energy level of the whole camp.
—Kathryn Romeyn, Travel + Leisure, 17 July 2023
While Zeke was drumming on television, his father was helping a new country gain its footing on the international stage.
—Andrew Holter, Rolling Stone, 15 July 2023
Cut to a video of LeAnn and Eddie drumming and boxing, adding in things like squat jumps while drumming, following by throwing punches at a bag.
—Korin Miller, Women's Health, 25 Apr. 2023
The carousel also includes sweet PDA shots of Barker kissing and pretending to drum on his wife's baby bump.
—Chelsey Sanchez, Harper's BAZAAR, 6 July 2023
In one photo, Barker is seen pretending to drum on Kardashian’s belly, while others show the two of them embracing.
—Ashley Iasimone, Billboard, 18 June 2023
Justis and her classmates have made do playing rudimentary instruments, like the recorder, and drumming on upturned 5-gallon plastic buckets from Home Depot.
—Deanna Pan, BostonGlobe.com, 15 June 2023
While some military laws directly criminalized homosexual activity, other statutes were used as cover charges to drum gay men and women out of the service, meaning these numbers may only reveal a fraction of the true toll.
—Jessica Kegu, CBS News, 21 June 2023
See More
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.
Word History
Etymology
Noun (1)
probably from Dutch trom; akin to Middle High German trumme drum
Noun (2)
Scottish Gaelic druim back, ridge, from Old Irish druimm
First Known Use
Noun (1)
circa 1534, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
1582, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1
Noun (2)
1732, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing drum
Dictionary Entries Near drum
Cite this Entry
“Drum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/drum. Accessed 26 Sep. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids 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
noun
More from Merriam-Webster on drum
Nglish: Translation of drum for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of drum for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about drum
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share