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

Lacking any permanent surface water, the drumbeat of life here is dictated by the rhythms of the rain. —Shi En Kim, AZCentral.com, 26 Mar. 2026

That word—deliberately—recurs throughout the 40-page report like a drumbeat. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 26 Mar. 2026

The drumbeat of Christian war imagery has ignited dangerous conspiracies about Jews, such as Tucker Carlson’s contention that the Chabad-Lubavitch sect of Judaism secretly started the war. —Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 25 Mar. 2026

There has been a steady drumbeat to honor Chavez after his death in 1993. —Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 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