Thesaurus results for DRUMS

drums 1 of 2

noun

plural of drum

as in barrels

a metal container in the shape of a cylinder an oil drum

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drums

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of drum

as in taps

to strike or cause to strike lightly and usually rhythmically absentmindedly drumming his fingers on the table

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of drums

Noun

When the track properly kicks in, the guitar strums, drums, and vocals are all present and well-balanced, with no element outshining another. — Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 3 Nov. 2026 The teenage girl Yumi practices Ryukyu Buyo, while a man named Everton practices Eisa, an Okinawan folk dance involving drums. — Kambole Campbell, IndieWire, 2 Nov. 2026 Each begins with drums pounding out a rhythm, often featuring a teetering syncopation, while more voices add their own frayed melodies. — Vanessa Ague, Pitchfork, 29 Oct. 2026 Casey called up another friend, Joe Koonz, guitarist for the 1980s Cape Cod hardcore band the Freeze, who offered to play drums and teach Casey to play bass. — Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 29 Oct. 2026 Stamos, who has occasionally played drums on tour with the Beach Boys for more than four decades as well as recording with them in the studio, did not give any further details about the nature of Love’s condition. — Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 29 Oct. 2026 On Tuesday evening, protesters gathered outside the City Council chambers, beating drums and chanting through a microphone as council members finished a discussion on homelessness. — Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 22 Oct. 2026 Investigators have also removed drums containing an oily, sludge-like material from the property and have investigated the home for signs of wet cremation, when a mix of chemicals are used to break down human remains. — Joe Holden, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026 An hour before a ball was even kicked on Sunday afternoon, the beating of drums and chanting from the River Guard supporters group could be heard loud and clear from the locker rooms at the Boas Soccer Complex. — Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 17 Oct. 2026

Verb

The franchise’s iconic theme song is starting to play, the loud warrior drums about to give way to that ubiquitous melody. — Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 20 Aug. 2026 Krieger and Densmore, the two surviving members of The Doors, are the backbone of the video, revisiting the signature guitar and drums parts more than a half-century after they were originally laid to wax. — Randy McMullen, Mercury News, 8 Jan. 2026 Instead of another room with a priest and young woman growling on the bed, the exorcisms in The Wailing are accompanied by chanting crowds, firepits, and drums beating as a great spectacle is made of the ritual. — Michael Lee Simpson, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Oct. 2025 The video cuts to Camila, who reads the report outloud as Matthew drums on the bongo and offers his commentary on the report. — Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025 Some of the pressure on federal lawmakers is also shifting to state-level leaders to fill the gaps as the shutdown drums on. — Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 24 Oct. 2025 These cues told the robot which drums to strike and when. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 8 Aug. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for drums

Noun

In his opening address, Al Jaber warned that nearly a billion barrels had been drawn from global oil inventories since the disruption of Hormuz, illustrating how quickly geopolitical instability can affect global energy supplies.

— Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 6 Nov. 2026
Metcalf told Fortune last month that even Saudi Arabia’s plan to send 10 million barrels of oil a day around Hormuz may barely move prices.

— Steven John, Fortune, 6 Nov. 2026

Definition of barrels

Noun

Thanks in part to that retirement party, Sacramento library patrons can check out hundreds of different pans, muffin tins and cookie cutters from the Shari Nichelini Cake Pan Library.

— Anne Ewbank, Sacbee.com, 21 Oct. 2026
Its counters are crowded with plants and flowers in various states of decay, stacks of plates, fruit and Venezuelan snacks like tins of Pirulin cookies, all styled like a Dutch still life.

— Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026