as in taps
to strike or cause to strike lightly and usually rhythmically
absentmindedly drumming his fingers on the table
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of drums
Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 26 Jan. 2026
One day, Juurlink, who played the drums, was practicing at the home of his best friend, a bass player.
—Ben Taub, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
During the Eighties, Dunbar started incorporating electronic drums and samplers into his work.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 26 Jan. 2026
Others banged on pots and pans and drums, blew whistles and honked car horns.
—Nick Ferraro, Twin Cities, 26 Jan. 2026
Queen Cora, the stage name of drummer Cora Coleman-Denham, whose career includes playing the drums for both Prince and Beyoncé for their Super Bowl halftime performances, hosted the TEC Awards.
—Peter Larsen, Oc Register, 23 Jan. 2026
Paradoxically, this amounts to taking chances on aesthetics that surged in the wake of Renaissance, which had even Drake flowing over house drums.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 23 Jan. 2026
Jackson remembered that there were several sets of drums, keyboards, guitars and B3 organs at his father's house.
—Ilana Frost, PEOPLE, 20 Jan. 2026
Both co-written by Hirst, whose driving drums propelled them, the songs spotlighted Indigenous issues to non-native audiences.
—Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 20 Jan. 2026
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
Noun
The genre-blending jam band — consisting of Rick Mitarotonda (vocals, guitar), Peter Anspach (vocals, keys, guitar), Trevor Weekz (bass), and Cotter Ellis (vocals, drums) — has announced dates for its 2026 tour.
—Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 26 Jan. 2026
One day, Juurlink, who played the drums, was practicing at the home of his best friend, a bass player.
—Ben Taub, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
During the Eighties, Dunbar started incorporating electronic drums and samplers into his work.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 26 Jan. 2026
Others banged on pots and pans and drums, blew whistles and honked car horns.
—Nick Ferraro, Twin Cities, 26 Jan. 2026
Queen Cora, the stage name of drummer Cora Coleman-Denham, whose career includes playing the drums for both Prince and Beyoncé for their Super Bowl halftime performances, hosted the TEC Awards.
—Peter Larsen, Oc Register, 23 Jan. 2026
Paradoxically, this amounts to taking chances on aesthetics that surged in the wake of Renaissance, which had even Drake flowing over house drums.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 23 Jan. 2026
Jackson remembered that there were several sets of drums, keyboards, guitars and B3 organs at his father's house.
—Ilana Frost, PEOPLE, 20 Jan. 2026
Both co-written by Hirst, whose driving drums propelled them, the songs spotlighted Indigenous issues to non-native audiences.
—Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 20 Jan. 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
-
The chemical facility, which closed in 2023 was found to have more than 1,000 55-gallon barrels of flammable, corrosive or chlorinated chemicals still on-site following a May 2024 fire.—
Keith Matheny,
Freep.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Made in Asheville, North Carolina, French Broad Chocolate's Whiskey Barrel bar uses local Two Trees Distilling oak barrels during the chocolate ageing process.—
Angela Hansberger,
AJC.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Trump taps Kevin Warsh to chair the Federal Reserve.—
Kayla Hayempour,
NBC news,
30 Jan. 2026
-
This routine is called progressive overload, which taps into the science behind building muscle.—
Ariana Yaptangco,
Glamour,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Again, when Appa was away on rigs, Amma would serve us tins of meat.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Jan. 2026
-
For Some Ovens, Anything At All Cookie sheets, muffin tins, cast iron, and pizza pans are usually safe to store in an oven drawer.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
21 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Drums.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drums. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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