Thesaurus results for DRUMS

drums 1 of 2

noun

Definition of drums next

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

By now, the standard sound of rage rap — redlining drums deployed with abandon, frenetic, almost spastic chord arrangements, and often shouted, mantra-like lyrics delivered in an impassioned scream — has become a predictable shorthand for overtures to a younger audience. —

Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 10 Mar. 2026 The room fills with the sound of meditative thuds against caribou skin drums and the haunting, throaty vocals of several Tasiilaq men and women. —

Megan Spurrell, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Mar. 2026 Eddie Burns’ Music Career Burns started playing drums at age 6. —

Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 10 Mar. 2026 Also a member of local band Elemental Sparks, Luca first played drums in fourth grade. —

Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Mar. 2026 The drums in use, per Team Venezuela’s game notes, are a Venezuelan tradition. —

Maria Torres, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2026 The procession featured drums, dancing and floats celebrating the vibrancy of the Chinese American community in the oldest celebration of its kind outside Asia and one of the largest. —

Jane Tyska, Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2026 The procession featured drums, dancing and floats celebrating the vibrancy of the Chinese American community in the oldest celebration of its kind outside Asia and one of the largest. —

ABC News, 7 Mar. 2026 Meant to sound ritualistic, Micay viewed the drums as a soundtrack for Henry exorcizing his demons. —

Kiana Mickles, Pitchfork, 2 Mar. 2026

Verb

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

After coalition forces began bombing Iraqi positions in January 1991, part of Iraqi troops’ response was to release millions of barrels of crude oil into the Persian Gulf.

— Michael Christopher Low, The Conversation, 5 Mar. 2026
The war’s impact on inflation depends on its severity and duration as well as the magnitude of the disruption at the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow corridor through which one in five barrels of oil around the world flow.

— Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 4 Mar. 2026