Illustration of drum
- 1 bass
- 2 snare (orchestra)
- 3 snare (parade)
1
: a percussion instrument consisting of a hollow shell or cylinder with a drumhead stretched over one or both ends that is beaten with the hands or with some implement (such as a stick or wire brush)
3
: the sound of a drum
also
: a sound similar to that of a drum
4
: any of various chiefly marine bony fishes (family Sciaenidae) that make a drumming or croaking noise using their air bladder and associated muscles
5
: something resembling a drum in shape: such as
a(1)
: any of the cylindrical blocks that form the shaft of a column
(2)
: a round wall or structure that supports a dome
b
: a cylindrical machine or mechanical device or part
c
: a cylindrical container
specifically
: a large usually metal container for liquids
a 55-gallon drum
d
: a disk-shaped magazine for an automatic weapon
drummed; drumming
1
: to make a succession of strokes or vibrations that produce sounds like drumbeats
2
: to beat a drum
3
: to throb or sound rhythmically
4
: to stir up interest : solicit
1
: to summon or enlist by or as if by beating a drum
were drummed into service
2
: to dismiss ignominiously : expel
—usually used with out
3
: to drive or force by steady effort or reiteration
drummed the speech into her head
4
a
: to strike or tap repeatedly
b
: to produce (rhythmic sounds) by such action
Synonyms
Examples of drum in a Sentence
Noun (1)
an oil drum
Verb
She drummed while he played the guitar.
Her fingers drummed nervously on the table.
He was nervously drumming a pencil on the desk.
Recent Examples on the Web
Ken Colburn, The Arizona Republic, 6 May 2024
The retired engineer started playing drums in jazz and swing bands in the 1930s and still uses his very first Zildjian cymbal in his set.
—Kate Hogan, Peoplemag, 5 May 2024
In a swift predawn operation three days before graduation ceremonies begin, USC campus police and LAPD officers in riot gear cleared a pro-Palestinian encampment from the center of campus Sunday as protesters beat drums, chanted and later pledged to continue their demonstration.
—Angie Orellana Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 5 May 2024
The tactile flourish of a touchscreen gave Luddites the tools to chop samples and program drum beats with an efficiency that would’ve made J Dilla blush, but the novelty of such pursuits became a substantial roadblock to ever being taken seriously by those with pro studio bona fides.
—Pete Cottell, WIRED, 2 May 2024
At one point, Freese caused the whole pavilion to shake with each rapid kick of the drum.
—Jake Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 May 2024
The co-eds raced into the Atlantic Ocean from Lake Boca, through south Florida's iconic Boca Raton Inlet, where a YouTuber caught them on camera dumping full drums of empty bottles and garbage into the water.
—Chris Eberhart, Fox News, 2 May 2024
Unlike many laser printers today, which ship with the toner cartridge already installed, Brother uses the old-school approach of packing the toner separately in the box and already mounted on the drum unit.
—PCMAG, 30 Apr. 2024
Trending on Billboard Ye (formerly known as Kanye West), drops in on the second verse of the song that bounces along on a video game-like bed of synths and drums.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 23 Apr. 2024
Liza Esquibias, Peoplemag, 27 Feb. 2024
Born in Bristol, CT in 1954, LeBlanc also had a robust solo career, drumming on tracks for English producer Adrian Sherwood’s On-U Sound productions.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 9 Apr. 2024
Riley Robinson/Staff People dance to drum music on Church Street April 7, 2024, in Burlington, Vermont, as part of a city-wide celebration of Monday’s solar eclipse.
—Riley Robinson, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Apr. 2024
The results suggested that syncing brain waves in the beta band, which is linked with motor functions, enhanced the ability of participants to synchronize their body movements — in this case, drumming a rhythm with their fingers.
—Quanta Magazine, 28 Mar. 2024
Advertisement One of the few musicians anywhere whose credits include drumming with big band legend Lionel Hampton and free-jazz bassist William Parker, Moran formed Slavic Soul Party!
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Dec. 2023
The musician who glues the skin on his knuckles together after drumming too hard.
—Amy Kaufman, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2023
Barker was also joined by his bandmates Mark Hoppus and Tom DeLonge onstage and drumming away while performing in Australia.
—Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 3 Mar. 2024
Along the coast of western Australia, the waves drummed a steady beat.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 26 Feb. 2024
Noun
Anyone who’s ever lived in an apartment near a neighbor playing loud music knows this principle as the banging of the drums comes through the walls and ceiling.
—Ken Colburn, The Arizona Republic, 6 May 2024
The retired engineer started playing drums in jazz and swing bands in the 1930s and still uses his very first Zildjian cymbal in his set.
—Kate Hogan, Peoplemag, 5 May 2024
In a swift predawn operation three days before graduation ceremonies begin, USC campus police and LAPD officers in riot gear cleared a pro-Palestinian encampment from the center of campus Sunday as protesters beat drums, chanted and later pledged to continue their demonstration.
—Angie Orellana Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 5 May 2024
The tactile flourish of a touchscreen gave Luddites the tools to chop samples and program drum beats with an efficiency that would’ve made J Dilla blush, but the novelty of such pursuits became a substantial roadblock to ever being taken seriously by those with pro studio bona fides.
—Pete Cottell, WIRED, 2 May 2024
At one point, Freese caused the whole pavilion to shake with each rapid kick of the drum.
—Jake Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 May 2024
The co-eds raced into the Atlantic Ocean from Lake Boca, through south Florida's iconic Boca Raton Inlet, where a YouTuber caught them on camera dumping full drums of empty bottles and garbage into the water.
—Chris Eberhart, Fox News, 2 May 2024
Unlike many laser printers today, which ship with the toner cartridge already installed, Brother uses the old-school approach of packing the toner separately in the box and already mounted on the drum unit.
—PCMAG, 30 Apr. 2024
Trending on Billboard Ye (formerly known as Kanye West), drops in on the second verse of the song that bounces along on a video game-like bed of synths and drums.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 23 Apr. 2024
Verb
The video starts with the singer standing in the back dancing while watching Rennie David drum along with Foster, 74, on the piano.
—Liza Esquibias, Peoplemag, 27 Feb. 2024
Born in Bristol, CT in 1954, LeBlanc also had a robust solo career, drumming on tracks for English producer Adrian Sherwood’s On-U Sound productions.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 9 Apr. 2024
Riley Robinson/Staff People dance to drum music on Church Street April 7, 2024, in Burlington, Vermont, as part of a city-wide celebration of Monday’s solar eclipse.
—Riley Robinson, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Apr. 2024
The results suggested that syncing brain waves in the beta band, which is linked with motor functions, enhanced the ability of participants to synchronize their body movements — in this case, drumming a rhythm with their fingers.
—Quanta Magazine, 28 Mar. 2024
Advertisement One of the few musicians anywhere whose credits include drumming with big band legend Lionel Hampton and free-jazz bassist William Parker, Moran formed Slavic Soul Party!
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Dec. 2023
The musician who glues the skin on his knuckles together after drumming too hard.
—Amy Kaufman, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2023
Barker was also joined by his bandmates Mark Hoppus and Tom DeLonge onstage and drumming away while performing in Australia.
—Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 3 Mar. 2024
Along the coast of western Australia, the waves drummed a steady beat.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 26 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'drum.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near drum
Cite this Entry
“Drum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/drum. Accessed 9 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
drum
1 of 2 noun1
: a musical percussion instrument consisting of a hollow cylinder with a thin layer of material (as animal skin or plastic) stretched over one or both ends that is beaten with a stick or with the hands
2
: the sound of a drum
also
: a similar sound
3
: a drum-shaped object: as
a
: a cylindrical mechanical device or part
b
: a cylindrical container
oil drums
c
: a disk-shaped ammunition container that may be attached to a firearm
drum
2 of 2 verb
drummed; drumming
1
: to beat or play on or as if on a drum
3
: to call or gather together by or as if by beating a drum
drum up business
4
: to dismiss in shame : expel
drummed out of the army
5
: to drive or force by steady effort or repetition
drummed the lesson into their heads
6
: to strike or tap repeatedly so as to produce rhythmic sounds
drummed the table with his fingers
Medical Definition
drum
nounLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
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