as in to devise
to create or think of by clever use of the imagination
anyone who drums up a better way of doing this tedious task will make a fortune
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Recent Examples of drum up
In Manhattan, Henry hoofed through the city’s streets and into its clattering manufacturers’ workshops day after day, trying to drum up interest in her interchangeable umbrella.
—
Shoshi Parks, Popular Science, 19 Mar. 2026
Millions and millions of dollars are poured into the sprawling motion picture economy of Los Angeles to drum up support for the year’s Academy Award nominees.
—Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2026
Union officials also held a rally outside district offices Tuesday afternoon, drumming up support for their cause ahead of the school board’s meeting.
—Kyle Martin, Mercury News, 10 Mar. 2026
Pre-seeding While EMV levels may cool off quickly in the months following a launch, brands are increasingly drumming up pre-launch interest by teasing newness and seeding products to creators, in some cases, months in advance.
—Noor Lobad, Footwear News, 27 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for drum up
Shoshi Parks, Popular Science, 19 Mar. 2026
Millions and millions of dollars are poured into the sprawling motion picture economy of Los Angeles to drum up support for the year’s Academy Award nominees.
—Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2026
Union officials also held a rally outside district offices Tuesday afternoon, drumming up support for their cause ahead of the school board’s meeting.
—Kyle Martin, Mercury News, 10 Mar. 2026
Pre-seeding While EMV levels may cool off quickly in the months following a launch, brands are increasingly drumming up pre-launch interest by teasing newness and seeding products to creators, in some cases, months in advance.
—Noor Lobad, Footwear News, 27 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for drum up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drum up
Verb
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First canals and then locks were devised to guide boats around the falls.—
Adam Sachs,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 Mar. 2026
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Board member David Young suggested the county could devise some kind of explanation or message on the county’s website explaining the reason for the changes, and Gumz asked Lasky to come up with language for a potential disclaimer for the website to be considered by the committee.—
Molly Morrow,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Garcia went on to exclusively play instruments constructed by Irwin for the next two decades.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
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The scenarios were constructed so that faithfully completing the task would result in the other model being shut down.—
Jeremy Kahn,
Fortune,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Police said Wang had slashed their throats and concocted a story about arriving home and shooting at a fleeing intruder responsible for the killings.—
Carlos E. Castañeda,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2026
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When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, scientists identified the virus, deciphered its secrets, concocted a vaccine, put it into production, and rendered the disease manageable – all within a year.—
David Blumenthal,
Fortune,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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That’s when Jack discovers the tin full of custom drugs that were left in their room by the demented chemistry major who used to live there (the reliably hilarious Sarah Sherman, appearing in a step-by-step YouTube tutorial about surviving the pills her character invented).—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
31 Mar. 2026
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Hal Nelson, Corning executive vice president and chief operating officer, emphasized that Corning invented the first low-loss optical fiber more than 50 years ago, which revolutionized telecommunications.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Drum up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drum%20up. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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