strum

noun \ ˈstrəm \

Updated on: 15 Apr 2018

Definition of strum

: an act, instance, or sound of strumming

Recent Examples of strum from the Web

Or maybe a guitar strum or even the fluid sound of a clarinet.

— nick hoppe, San Francisco Chronicle, "Lovely sounds in the middle of the night," 6 Apr. 2018
The new track about flying sparks between lovers is as fiery as expected, combining lead singer Cristal Ramirez's soulful vocals with clashing percussion and glimmering guitar strums.

— tatiana cirisano, Billboard, "The Aces Heat Up With Fiery New Single 'Volcanic Love'," 9 Feb. 2018
The second, a serene strum-fest accompanied by Meloy's sing-song musings.

— eder campuzano, OregonLive.com, "With 'I'll Be Your Girl,' The Decemberists take a new path to the same destination (review)," 16 Mar. 2018
The first of the album's two instrumentals is the latter, and shudders with beauty -- with a guitar strum that drifts in search of a home, before the song expands into a swirl of piano and finger-snaps.

— billboard staff, Billboard, "The 50 Greatest Interludes of All Time: Staff Picks," 9 Mar. 2018
For most Americans, this lush region conjures the strum of a banjo, the songs of Loretta Lynn and the gentle twang of a thick mountain accent.

— jessica wapner, Newsweek, "The Cancer Epidemic in Central Appalachia," 19 July 2015
With orchestral strings behind the strum, stomp and clap of a traditional-sounding beat, the women aren’t singing about cheerful drunks.

— jon pareles, New York Times, "The Playlist: John Prine Comes Home, and 10 More New Songs," 9 Feb. 2018
The track, laden with staccato strums and snaps, was produced by Ariel Rechtshaid, whose previous credits include Adele, Haim and countless others.

— erica gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "CLOVES Is "Bringing the House Down" with a New Song and Music Video," 1 Feb. 2018
Once a week, a music therapist helps Mrs. Herzog transform her thoughts into lyrics, then sings them back to her mellifluously over the strums of her guitar.

— sharon otterman, New York Times, "Music Therapy Offers an End-of-Life Grace Note," 15 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'strum.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of strum

imitative

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1764

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

strum

verb

Definition of strum

strummed; strumming

transitive verb

1 a : to brush the fingers over the strings of (a musical instrument) in playing

strum a guitar

; also : ¹thrum 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

intransitive verb

1 : to strum a stringed instrument

2 : to sound vibrantly

—

strummer

noun

See strum defined for English-language learners

See strum defined for kids

Examples of strum in a Sentence

He strummed a tune on the guitar.

Recent Examples of strum from the Web

Unlike a lot of shows with guitar-strumming interlopers, McCoy’s not used as a clumsy strolling-troubadour narrative device.

— christopher arnott, courant.com, "'Father Comes From the Wars' A Long But Easy To Follow Journey At Yale Rep," 26 Mar. 2018
At the Met, Miller was strumming his former D’Aquisto archtop, now on display in the André Mertens Galleries for Musical Instruments, which recently reopened after a two-year renovation.

— rachel aviv, The New Yorker, "How Many Guitars Can Steve Miller Fit in His Closet?," 16 Mar. 2018
At the beginning of the song's first chorus, Cabello swung the guitar around from behind her back and began strumming.

— abby jones, Billboard, "Camila Cabello's Fans Defend Singer After She Gets Mocked For Guitar Playing on 'Ellen'," 22 Mar. 2018
Like King, Tracy Chapman is a Grammy-award winning performer who also had a modest beginning to her career, singing and strumming her guitar at Boston’s Harvard Square.

— jerry fallstrom, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Prize money for street performers increased at third annual Eustis Busker Festival," 16 Mar. 2018
The strings of the second piano are strummed and plucked so as to produce weird waves of resonant sound suggestive of the netherworld.

— john von rhein, chicagotribune.com, "Chicago Fringe Opera's bare-bones staging of 'Great God Pan' brings more spills than chills," 15 Mar. 2018
Her emphatic footwork, arched torso and curling hands responded readily to the sung, strummed, clapped and vocalized accompaniment provided by the musicians to keep her dancing immediate and vivid.

— robert greskovic, WSJ, "A Tasting Menu of Spanish Dance," 6 Mar. 2018
Kielbania, a student at Berklee College of Music, played upright bass that night in a trio that included John Payne, a Harvard dropout, on flute, and the enigmatic Irish singer Van Morrison strumming an acoustic guitar.

— mark shanahan, BostonGlobe.com, "An ‘Astral Weeks’ origin story, told 50 years after Van Morrison fled to Boston," 1 Mar. 2018
Jewel, who serves as singing/strumming guide during the performance, appears at stage right, belting her song Mercy.

— carly mallenbaum, USA TODAY, "Jewel has a new Cirque du Soleil show about her life. Here's why," 26 Feb. 2018

First Known Use of strum

1777

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

STRUM Defined for English Language Learners

strum

verb

Definition of strum for English Language Learners

: to play (a guitar or similar instrument) by moving your fingers across the strings
: to play (music) on a guitar, banjo, etc., by moving your fingers over the strings