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

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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)

• hum
• purr
• buzz

Examples of thrum in a Sentence

Noun (1)

the steady thrum of the turbines in the power plant

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Given her emphasis on the violence thrumming through Russian society, her books are considered highly relevant amid the current war. —New York Times, 11 Oct. 2025

His pike made a swift, powerhouse dive under the raft itself and wrapped the rod around the side of the doughnut so hard that the inflated rubber cylinder thrummed like a drum. —Ben East, Outdoor Life, 28 Aug. 2025

Noun

Tracy’s dialogue, though absent the staccato non sequiturs of the director’s earlier work, has a bracing nastiness; every visual flourish and every menacing thrum of the score, by Jerskin Fendrix, escalates the intensity of Stone and Plemons’s bravura showdown. —Justin Chang, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2025

The easily accessible velocity feels intoxicating and is accentuated with a rich sonic layer cake: the whoosh of air sucking into the engine, the hiss of spooling turbos, the chuff of blowoff valves, and the deep-bass thrum of combustion pulsing through a large trapezoidal exhaust vane. —Basem Wasef, Robb Report, 20 Sep. 2025

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

Rhymes for thrum

• bum
• chum
• come
• crum
• cum
• drum
• dum
• dumb
• from
• frum
• glum
• gum

Kids Definition

thrum

verb

ˈthrəm

thrummed; thrumming

: to sound or speak with a steady or boring rhythm

thrum noun