strummed; strumming
1
a
: to brush the fingers over the strings of (a musical instrument) in playing
strum a guitar
also
: thrum entry 1 sense 1
b
: to play (music) on a stringed instrument
strum a tune
2
: to cause to sound vibrantly
… winds strummed the rigging …—
H. A. Chippendale
H. A. Chippendale
strummer
noun
Examples of strum in a Sentence
Verb
He strummed a tune on the guitar.
Recent Examples on the Web
Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
Marcus Mumford channeled Gracie Abrams‘ guitar strums and vocals while visiting the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge.
—Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 27 Oct. 2025
Carrie Battan, Vulture, 15 Jan. 2026
His Snider strums the guitar, takes arty nudes, and fashions flowers out of wood.
—Lili Anolik, Vanity Fair, 12 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for strum
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
The song may be six minutes long, but the circuitous lope of his acoustic-guitar strum and low throb of his warbling feel eternal, like the type of tune Sisyphus might have hummed to keep himself company.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
Marcus Mumford channeled Gracie Abrams‘ guitar strums and vocals while visiting the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge.
—Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 27 Oct. 2025
Verb
Onstage, Abrams seemed the more demure of the two, strumming her guitar behind a mic stand while Hobert held her microphone in her hand and gesticulated with authorial flair.
—Carrie Battan, Vulture, 15 Jan. 2026
His Snider strums the guitar, takes arty nudes, and fashions flowers out of wood.
—Lili Anolik, Vanity Fair, 12 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for strum
Cite this Entry
“Strum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/strum. Accessed 16 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
