drum

1 of 3

noun (1)

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)
2
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
drumlike adjective

Illustration of drum

Illustration of drum
  • 1 bass
  • 2 snare (orchestra)
  • 3 snare (parade)

drum

2 of 3

verb

drummed; drumming

intransitive verb

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

transitive verb

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

drum

3 of 3

noun (2)

1
chiefly Scotland : a long narrow hill or ridge
2

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
Noun
In a video posted to Instagram, McPhee Foster, 39, shows her 3-year-old son Rennie David playing drums on stage during her and her husband’s show in Washington D.C. on Sunday. Liza Esquibias, Peoplemag, 27 Feb. 2024 Unable to play drums or piano anymore, Mac learned to play harmonica, Sinise said, and the project grew to include more songs and more collaborators. Christie D’zurilla, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2024 My brother was a drummer, played drums for Lou Rawls. Peter Larsen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Feb. 2024 The Too Hot to Handel Trio is comprised of celebrated Detroit musicians Marion Hayden, bass; Alvin Waddles, piano; and Dave Taylor, drums. Detroit Free Press, 23 Feb. 2024 Fellow band members include Paul Jackson (guitar, vocals), Richard Turner (bass, vocals), Brit Turner (drums), and Brandon Still (keyboards). Pam Windsor, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024 Dreier has traveled the world since then, doing that and more − even playing drums with the U.S. Marine Band at a White House Hanukkah celebration. Phaedra Trethan, USA TODAY, 24 Feb. 2024 This drum, for instance, is quite literally the focal point of the film’s breathtaking final shot, as the community dances and sings to its beat. Eda Yu, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Feb. 2024 Blake’s signature hums start the song off delicately, atop tender guitar and careful drums by producers BRYVN (Juice WRLD, Young Thug, Trippie Redd) and Neenyo (Drake, PARTYNEXTDOOR, Future). Mankaprr Conteh, Rolling Stone, 23 Feb. 2024
Verb
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 Along the coast of western Australia, the waves drummed a steady beat. Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 26 Feb. 2024 The chart-topping vocal star has not been able to drum for years because of debilitating health issues. George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Dec. 2023 Muhammad found early success in the mid-2010s as a teenager drumming in his Glendale garage-punk band the Bots with his older brother Mikaiah. August Brown, Los Angeles Times, 12 Sep. 2023 But at McKale Center last weekend, the Wildcats drummed two Pac-12 contenders, Colorado and Utah, keeping the Buffaloes to 50 points on 36.4% shooting and the Utes to 73 points on 41.2% shooting. Bruce Pascoe, The Arizona Republic, 12 Jan. 2024 At the anniversary event, Carrington will be honored by, among others, Marcus Gilmore, the grandson of drumming legend Roy Haynes. James Sullivan, BostonGlobe.com, 19 Sep. 2023 Mana sang and played keyboards; Kana played guitar; Yuna drummed; and Yuuki played bass and wrote lyrics. Matthew Strauss, Pitchfork, 18 Jan. 2024 Lunch Block Between the blasts that day, Cranston, a city of about 80,000, embodied the euphony of a New England autumn: leaves tumbling across driveways, basketballs drumming the pavement of cul-de-sacs; engines humming in a Dunkin’ drive-through line. Emily Baumgaertner, New York Times, 20 Dec. 2023

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of drum was circa 1534

Dictionary Entries Near drum

Cite this Entry

“Drum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/drum. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

drum

1 of 2 noun
1
: 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
2
: to sound rhythmically : throb, beat
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

More from Merriam-Webster on drum

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