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
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
To protest it, a contingent of more than fifty Democrats in the Texas House had fled the state, delaying the vote and drumming up national interest.
—Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2025
The Times says Boulous began drumming up deals soon after proposing to Trump in the White House Rose Garden back in January 2021.
—Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 22 Aug. 2025
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
To protest it, a contingent of more than fifty Democrats in the Texas House had fled the state, delaying the vote and drumming up national interest.
—Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2025
The Times says Boulous began drumming up deals soon after proposing to Trump in the White House Rose Garden back in January 2021.
—Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 22 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drumming up
Verb
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And commissioners spent all that time devising the College Sports Commission in an attempt to stabilize the NIL/portal market, then sit back and let one school in their conference steal yet another star QB half an hour before the portal closes.—
Stewart Mandel,
New York Times,
28 Jan. 2026
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The 40-year-old cooks up ways to make quarterbacks miserable in his sleep, devising schemes that are meant to lure as much as they are intended to confuse.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The reality is that the AI is concocting elaborate personas, faking as though humans are writing about human woes.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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Both activities can be fairly ordinary hobbies—games of imagination not so different from crushing on a pop star or concocting stories about a film protagonist.—
Faith Hill,
The Atlantic,
17 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Risk is one of the most consequential currencies in geopolitics, and Washington has spent years constructing an elaborate risk architecture around China.—
Dewardric L. McNeal,
CNBC,
13 Feb. 2026
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Bonds are used to fund brick-and-mortar projects, which include constructing, equipping, maintaining and furnishing district facilities.—
Kendrick Calfee
February 11,
Kansas City Star,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Tell that to Soren Sorensen (Sam) Adams, the Danish immigrant who is credited with inventing many of the same contraptions, along with some six hundred others, including sneezing powder and the joy buzzer.—
Alexandra Schwartz,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
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Teachers are not inventing problems.—
Lance Walters,
Washington Post,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Drumming up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drumming%20up. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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