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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Teddy bears and textbooks, camping gear stacked against her husband’s drum kit, a jumble of whisks and frying pans catching the morning sun. Laura Sharman, CNN Money, 7 Mar. 2026 Within our apartment’s small, semi-subterranean living room, my roommates and I set up a drum kit and a couple of guitar amps, and opened our doors to friends, neighbors, and strangers alike. Taran Dugal, New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2026 The exhibition was divided into two sections, one corresponding to the murder (a drum kit with twelve black stalactites, one for each stab wound), the other to its memorialization (a sculpture of a white unicorn with a melting face). Rachel Wetzler, Artforum, 1 Feb. 2026 Less than two weeks after releasing Printer’s Devil, the COVID-19 lockdown began; the barely used tour backdrop still hangs over a mattress soundproofing their drum kit. Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 29 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for drum kit

Word History

First Known Use

1920, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of drum kit was in 1920

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Cite this Entry

“Drum kit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/drum%20kit. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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