drum kit

noun

variants or less commonly drum set

plural drum kits also drum sets

: a set of percussion instruments that is played by one person and that includes drums and cymbals and sometimes additional pieces (such as cow bells and tambourines) along with hardware (such as stands and pedals) and a seat for the drummer

His drum kit, perched upon a hydraulic lift, soared twenty feet in the air as he pounded the skins with reckless abandon.

—Jim Ryan

… had a 25-piece drum kit in his battered truck.

—Mitchell Fink

… a standard four-piece drum set provided the rhythmic anchor.

—Tim Simmons

Examples of drum kit in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Did the question mark on his drum kit mean the real drummer remained a mystery? — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 29 Sep. 2026

A la Karen Carpenter, Paulina sang lead vocals from behind the drum kit, calling on the crowd to clap and sing along to the music. — Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026

Tommy is already a natural punk with his grimaces, British vocal inflections and wide-eyed expressions behind the drum kit. — Jane Tyska, Mercury News, 26 Aug. 2026

Wolf frequently climbed behind the drum kit, while songs were allowed to develop naturally around melody, storytelling and performance. — Spin Staff, SPIN, 18 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1920, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for drum kit

• acquit
• admit
• armpit
• backlit
• befit
• cockpit
• commit
• dalit
• dendrite
• emit
• illite
• misfit