drumbeat

1 of 2

noun (1)

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

drumbeater

2 of 2

noun (2)

: one that beats the drum for an idea, doctrine, or policy : a vociferous supporter of a cause

drumbeater for U.S. intervention in World War II

—Ralph de Toledano

Synonyms of drumbeat

Noun (1)

• barrage
• flurry

Examples of drumbeat in a Sentence

Noun (1)

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

Noun

For weeks there’s been a steady drumbeat near the halls of power at Netflix over the question of rightsizing, job cuts and a restructure ahead of its third quarter earnings disclosure on October 20. — Erik Hayden, HollywoodReporter, 9 Oct. 2026

That status quo has been marked by a drumbeat of devastating fires in recent years and increasing worries about more in the future. — Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 9 Oct. 2026

The group placed a drumbeat of conservative proposals in front of Colorado voters in recent years, often winning at the ballot box or forcing concessions from state leaders. — Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 8 Oct. 2026

The drumbeat of concern is largely focusing on cybersecurity, where agents break into other computer systems. — Laurent Belsie, Christian Science Monitor, 7 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1817, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1950, in the meaning defined above

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