drum up

verb

drummed up; drumming up; drums up

transitive verb

1

: to bring about by persistent effort

drum up some business

2

: invent, originate

drum up a new method

Synonyms

• concoct
• construct
• contrive
• cook (up)
• devise
• excogitate
• fabricate
• invent
• make up
• manufacture
• think (up)
• trump up
• vamp (up)

Examples of drum up in a Sentence

anyone who drums up a better way of doing this tedious task will make a fortune

Recent Examples on the Web

Since news broke of Binod’s ICE detention, Idahoans have spread information online hoping to drum up support for his plight. —Carolyn Komatsoulis, Idaho Statesman, 11 Apr. 2025

But Rubio, recognizing that the current multinational security mission led by Kenya is not large enough to take on heavily armed gangs, is trying to drum up support in the region for funding that would allow the mission to expand. —Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2025

Next up on that immediate agenda is a reunion game on Tuesday night in Miami, which is sure to drum up a local storm, something Butler can’t fully ignore. —Anthony Slater, The Athletic, 24 Mar. 2025

Eike Schmidt, the former director of the Uffizi museum in Florence, is helping drum up support. —Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN, 21 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1830, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for drum up

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup