different drummer
phrase
US
—used in phrases such as march to the beat of a different drummer to describe a person who thinks, lives, or behaves in an unusual way
His strange behavior was no surprise—he had always marched to (the beat of) a different drummer.
Her friends went to college, but she heard a different drummer and moved to the city to be an actor.
Cite this Entry
“Different drummer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/different%20drummer. Accessed 15 Mar. 2026.
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