drumbeat

noun

drum·​beat ˈdrəm-ˌbēt 

1

: a stroke on a drum or its sound

also : a series of such strokes

2

: vociferous advocacy of a cause

3

: drumfire sense 2

drumbeater

ˈdrəm-ˌbē-tər 

noun

drumbeating

ˈdrəm-ˌbē-tiŋ 

noun

Synonyms of drumbeat

• barrage
• flurry

Examples of drumbeat in a Sentence

I could hear the drumbeat of a parade down the street.

a dizzying drumbeat of interviews in the hours following her winning of the Academy Award

Recent Examples on the Web

Further job losses would be a blow to an industry that has been reeling from a steady drumbeat of job cuts fueled by media consolidation, dwindling streaming profits and the migration of film and TV jobs to cheaper states and countries. —Samantha Masunaga, Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2026

In Mayor Mamdani’s first two months in office, the organized drumbeat from those who lost has only grown louder. —Scott Levenson, New York Daily News, 1 Mar. 2026

There’s been a steady drumbeat of changes to vaccine policy since Kennedy became health secretary. —John Wilkerson, STAT, 24 Feb. 2026

The drumbeat of the years is can be deafening. —Jerry Shnay, Chicago Tribune, 9 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1817, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for drumbeat

• amit
• athlete
• backseat
• blackfeet
• broadsheet
• browbeat
• buckwheat
• compete
• compleat
• complete
• conceit
• concrete

Kids Definition

drumbeat

noun

drum·​beat ˈdrəm-ˌbēt 

: a stroke on a drum or its sound