as in devising
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 drumming up
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
Chalamet was vital in drumming up the momentum for the original film, which remained a theatrical draw due to rave reviews and stellar word of mouth.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 8 Feb. 2026
While the Indiana University football team prepares for Monday's College Football Playoff national championship game, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra is drumming up support this weekend on social media.
—Domenica Bongiovanni, IndyStar, 17 Jan. 2026
Perhaps the only thing capable of drumming up a Bardian level of attention would be for a famous person—probably Julia Fox—walking the red carpet in nothing but a pair of Pleasers.
—Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 28 Dec. 2025
Intel, the once-dominant chipmaker, is in a fight for its life that requires it to aggressively move into leading-edge chips, including those optimized for AI, while drumming up the funding to float that expensive transition.
—Alyson Shontell, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2025
Meanwhile, as China faces its own challenges at home, where the ruling Communist Party is grappling with a slowing economy and persistent unemployment, some observers wonder whether drumming up nationalism as a distraction strategy could push China into an even more aggressive stance.
—Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 6 Sep. 2025
The goal is drumming up buzz for the world premiere of her feminist crime thriller Nika & Madison on Sunday night.
—Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 6 Sep. 2025
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
Chalamet was vital in drumming up the momentum for the original film, which remained a theatrical draw due to rave reviews and stellar word of mouth.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 8 Feb. 2026
While the Indiana University football team prepares for Monday's College Football Playoff national championship game, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra is drumming up support this weekend on social media.
—Domenica Bongiovanni, IndyStar, 17 Jan. 2026
Perhaps the only thing capable of drumming up a Bardian level of attention would be for a famous person—probably Julia Fox—walking the red carpet in nothing but a pair of Pleasers.
—Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 28 Dec. 2025
Intel, the once-dominant chipmaker, is in a fight for its life that requires it to aggressively move into leading-edge chips, including those optimized for AI, while drumming up the funding to float that expensive transition.
—Alyson Shontell, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2025
Meanwhile, as China faces its own challenges at home, where the ruling Communist Party is grappling with a slowing economy and persistent unemployment, some observers wonder whether drumming up nationalism as a distraction strategy could push China into an even more aggressive stance.
—Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 6 Sep. 2025
The goal is drumming up buzz for the world premiere of her feminist crime thriller Nika & Madison on Sunday night.
—Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 6 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drumming up
Verb
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Last week, the council voted to direct the city manager to study moving emergency operations, dispatch and the service call center out of City Hall while devising funding plans for repairing the building, staying there and relocating.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
13 Mar. 2026
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While Green gave him instant advice, Kerr was devising ways to get Porzingis involved.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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As Gyllenhaal begins concocting her third directorial feature, could Curtis be part of the picture?—
Antonio Ferme,
Variety,
6 Mar. 2026
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Gyllenhaal, who also wrote her film, has corrected the imbalance, refashioning the story from the Bride’s perspective and concocting a protagonist of unfiltered feminist fury.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Among the possibilities for the site considered in the study were reusing the existing structure, turning the area into an open space for community events or constructing commercial or residential developments.—
Aurora Beacon-News,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Mar. 2026
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The ultimate goal is for NASA to spend years constructing a permanent lunar base where operations would enable the first astronauts to reach Mars.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But about 20 years later, Houdry read about Haagy’s discovery of the cause-effect between cars and smog, and turned his talent to inventing a catalytic converter process, essentially undoing his catalytic cracker and scrubbing pollution from gasoline.—
Patt Morrison,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
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What about inventing or discovering something that makes the world a better place?—
Mariel Carr,
Scientific American,
20 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Drumming up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drumming%20up. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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