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
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

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 26 Sep. 2023.

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!