thrum

1 of 4

verb (1)

ˈthrəm 

thrummed; thrumming

intransitive verb

1

: to sound with a monotonous hum

2

: to play or pluck a stringed instrument idly : strum

transitive verb

1

: to play (something, such as a stringed instrument) in an idle or relaxed manner

2

: to recite tiresomely or monotonously

thrum

2 of 4

noun (1)

: the monotonous sound of thrumming

thrum

3 of 4

noun (2)

1

a(1)

: a fringe of warp threads left on the loom after the cloth has been removed

(2)

: one of these warp threads

b

: a tuft or short piece of rope yarn used in thrumming canvas

—usually used in plural

c

: bit, particle

2

: a hair, fiber, or threadlike leaf on a plant

also : a tuft or fringe of such structures

thrum adjective

thrum

4 of 4

verb (2)

thrummed; thrumming

transitive verb

1

: to furnish with thrums : fringe

2

: to insert short pieces of rope yarn or spun yarn in (a piece of canvas) to make a rough surface or a mat which can be wrapped about rigging to prevent chafing

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• burr
• buzz
• chirr
• churr
• drone
• hum
• purr
• whir
• whirr
• whiz
• whizz
• zoom

Examples of thrum in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

My body, thrumming with stress and adrenaline, began to hum instead with desire. —Jerrine Tan, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2023

Compact and thrumming with energy, Zaslav has a distinct New York accent, and speaks in long narratives that always resolve in a salesman-like pitch. —Clare Malone, The New Yorker, 23 Aug. 2023

Cicadas thrummed gaily, fields shimmered with bird and insect life. —Joyce Carol Oates, Harper's Magazine, 10 July 2023

By the end of the first chorus, though, as her voice rises, she’s suddenly bolstered by a thrumming beat, strings and a bull-rush arrangement that builds to a rush-of-blood-to-the-head sprint. —Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 7 July 2023

But this painting is also something entirely other — springy and thrumming with color shifts. —Cate McQuaid, BostonGlobe.com, 4 July 2023

By the 1980s, much of downtown was moribund; buildings that once thrummed with commerce were dilapidated and vacant or underused. —Roger Vincent, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2023

There are no traffic jams, no thrumming HVAC units, no traces of pollution. —Andrew Lawrence, Popular Mechanics, 6 June 2023

Inside, the supercomputer loomed over me, thrumming like a waterfall. —Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker, 27 Feb. 2023

Noun

The thrum of a lawnmower’s engine was all that disturbed the tranquility of nature. —Darnell Mayberry | , cleveland, 16 Sep. 2023

Vitality thrums through his stories even in the shadows of despair. —Ron Charles, Washington Post, 3 Aug. 2023

All this family drama unfolds against a backdrop that, with its local observatory and historic meteorite crater, thrums with technological innovation and postwar possibility. —Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 15 June 2023

Dining on the early side or snaring one of the four tables out front are the only alternatives to the clamor as the night thrums on. —Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 9 June 2023

Poetry spills out Open until 8 on Saturday nights, the thrum of activity – from book launches, workshops, and open mics – spills into the neighborhood with singing voices, fingers snapping, and the rhythm of rhyme. —Dua Anjum, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Apr. 2023

An instrumental synth track is a sinuous thrum in the background, while lens flares and swirling lights silhouette the dancers unbothered by Wick and Killa’s antics. —Vulture, 25 Mar. 2023

Classic rock could be heard playing on the radio, over the thrum of machinery. —Eric Lach, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2023

The tiny Tyrrhenian Island of Ischia, a breezy ferry ride from Naples, feels a world apart from the thrum of the metropolitan city and the throngs crowding the Amalfi Coast. —Lauren Mowery, Forbes, 24 Jan. 2023

See More

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

imitative

Noun (2)

Middle English, from Old English -thrum (in tungethrum ligament of the tongue); akin to Old High German drum fragment

First Known Use

Verb (1)

1592, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 2

Noun (1)

1798, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Verb (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

thrum

verb

ˈthrəm

thrummed; thrumming

: to sound or speak with a steady or boring rhythm

thrum noun