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

• barrage
• blitz
• blitzkrieg
• bombardment
• cannonade
• drumfire
• flurry
• fusillade
• hail
• salvo
• shower
• storm
• volley

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

For 18 months leading up to last October’s opt-out deadline for the current WNBA collective bargaining agreement, executive director of the players association Terri Jackson heard a consistent drumbeat about what the league’s players wanted to prioritize. —Ben Pickman, New York Times, 21 May 2025

Beyond the physical abuse, Cassie endured a steady drumbeat of insidious threats that sent an unmistakable message: the violence could escalate at any moment. —Lauren Hersh, New York Daily News, 21 May 2025

And take a quick look at the steady drumbeat in the past few years with the hype around generative AI: What has been dominating our headlines? —Theodora Lau, Forbes.com, 9 May 2025

There's also been a drumbeat of reports warning that privatization is coming, from various news outlets. —Emily Peck, Axios, 1 Apr. 2025

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