drum

¹ American  

[druhm] / drʌm /

noun

• drums,
  plural
• drum
  plural

1. a musical percussion instrument consisting of a hollow, usually cylindrical, body covered at one or both ends with a tightly stretched membrane, or head, which is struck with the hand, a stick, or a pair of sticks, and typically produces a booming, tapping, or hollow sound.

2. any hollow tree or similar object or device used in this way.

3. the sound produced by such an instrument, object, or device.

4. any rumbling or deep booming sound.

5. a natural organ by which an animal produces a loud or bass sound.

6. eardrum.

7. any cylindrical object with flat ends.

8. a cylindrical part of a machine.

9. a cylindrical box or receptacle, especially a large, metal one for storing or transporting liquids.

10. Also called tambour. Architecture.

    1. any of several cylindrical or nearly cylindrical stones laid one above the other to form a column or pier.

    2. a cylindrical or faceted construction supporting a dome.

11. Ichthyology. any of several marine and freshwater fishes of the family Sciaenidae that produce a drumming sound.

12. Also called drum memory. Computers. magnetic drum.

13. Archaic. an assembly of fashionable people at a private house in the evening.

14. a person who plays the drum.

15. Australian Informal. reliable, confidential, or profitable information.

    to give someone the drum.

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verb (used without object)

• drums,
  present (3rd person singular)
• drummed,
  past participle,  past
• drumming
  present participle

1. to beat or play a drum.

2. to beat on anything rhythmically, especially to tap one's fingers rhythmically on a hard surface.

3. to make a sound like that of a drum; resound.

4. (of ruffed grouse and other birds) to produce a sound resembling drumming.

verb (used with object)

• drums,
  present (3rd person singular)
• drummed,
  past participle,  past
• drumming
  present participle

1. to beat (a drum) rhythmically; perform by beating a drum.

   to drum a rhythm for dancers.

2. to call or summon by, or as if by, beating a drum.

3. to drive or force by persistent repetition.

   to drum an idea into someone.

4. to fill a drum with; store in a drum.

   to drum contaminated water and dispose of it.

verb phrase

1. drum up

   1. to call or summon by, or as if by, beating a drum.

   2. to obtain or create (customers, trade, interest, etc.) through vigorous effort.

      They were unable to drum up enthusiasm for the new policies.

   3. to concoct; devise.

      to drum up new methods of dealing with urban crime.

2. drum out

   1. (formerly) to expel or dismiss from a military service in disgrace to the beat of a drum.

   2. to dismiss in disgrace.

      He was drummed out of the university for his gambling activities.

idioms

1. beat the drum, to promote, publicize, or advertise.

   The boss is out beating the drum for a new product.

drum ² American  

[druhm] / drʌm /

noun

Scot., Irish English.

1. a long, narrow hill or ridge.

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drum ¹ British  

/ drʌm /

noun

1. music a percussion instrument sounded by striking a membrane stretched across the opening of a hollow cylinder or hemisphere

2. informal to attempt to arouse interest in

3. the sound produced by a drum or any similar sound

4. an object that resembles a drum in shape, such as a large spool or a cylindrical container

5. architect

   1. one of a number of cylindrical blocks of stone used to construct the shaft of a column

   2. the wall or structure supporting a dome or cupola

6. short for eardrum

7. Also called: drumfish. any of various North American marine and freshwater sciaenid fishes, such as Equetus pulcher ( striped drum ), that utter a drumming sound

8. a type of hollow rotor for steam turbines or axial compressors

9. computing a rotating cylindrical device on which data may be stored for later retrieval: now mostly superseded by disks See disk

10. archaic a drummer

11. informal the necessary information (esp in the phrase give ( someone ) the drum )

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verb

1. to play (music) on or as if on a drum

2. to beat or tap (the fingers) rhythmically or regularly

3. (intr) (of birds) to produce a rhythmic sound, as by beating the bill against a tree, branch, etc

4. to summon or call by drumming

5. (tr) to instil by constant repetition

   to drum an idea into someone's head

drum ² British  

/ drʌm /

noun

1. a narrow ridge or hill

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• underdrumming
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• drum
  plural
• drums
  plural

Participles

• drumming
  present
• drummed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• drum
  simple
• drums
  simple
• have drummed
  perfect
• has drummed
  perfect
• am drumming
  progressive
• are drumming
  progressive
• is drumming
  progressive
• have been drumming
  perfect progressive
• has been drumming
  perfect progressive

Past

• drummed
  simple
• had drummed
  perfect
• was drumming
  progressive
• were drumming
  progressive
• had been drumming
  perfect progressive

Future

• will drum
  simple
• will have drummed
  perfect
• will be drumming
  progressive
• will have been drumming
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of drum¹

First recorded in 1535–45; of uncertain origin; probably a back formation from drumslade “drum, drummer,” alteration of Dutch or Low German trommelslag “drumbeat,” equivalent to trommel “drum” + slag “a beat”; cognate with slay

Origin of drum²

First recorded in 1725–35; from Irish and Scots Gaelic druim, of unknown origin

Explanation

A drum is a musical instrument that you play by hitting it rhythmically with a stick or your hand. Most drums are round, with a thin material stretched tightly over the ends. Some drums, like the West African djembe, are played with bare hands by a drummer who plays just one drum at a time. Others are found in a drum kit, often part of a rock band or a jazz ensemble, which might include a bass drum, a snare drum, cymbals, and a tom-tom — or even more. The word drum is also a verb, meaning "to play a drum," and can also mean "a cylinder-shaped container."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

drum drums drummed drumming

The drum of royalty, foretold two generations earlier, is now returning to its bearer.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

"Avengers: Endgame" dusted competitors in the North American weekend box office, as the 2019 super hero film was re-released in a bid to drum up support for the franchise.

From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026

I find that I’m beating this drum daily, trying to convince people that thoughtfully engaging with art they don’t immediately like or understand is a worthwhile practice.

From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026

He has spent much of his time in office jet-setting across the globe to drum up new investment and forge new trade and security partnerships.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

Dum-dum-dum-dum went the drum, the quicker you pulled the faster it beat.

From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya

He’s the pen behind 2005’s “Just the Girl” by the Click Five, which laid a mall-emo whine and reverb-heavy drums over The Wonders’ tried and true formula.

From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026

Then bringing them together and not feeling like we have to make it pop or saturate the music or make the drums lighter and more radio-friendly.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026

After being allowed to return home, the pair saw the van doors had been "blown off" and their contents emptied, with water butts and oil drums strewn on the ground.

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026

British counterterror police said the seized material in black drums wasn’t workable explosives, though they haven’t identified the material.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

Micah drums his fingertips on his lunch bag.

From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan

On Sphere’s escalators, grey-bearded lifers hugged in shredded battle jackets; tween girls in “Master of Puppets” hoodies drummed along to every fill; accents came from eastern Europe, Latin America and all the world over.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026

"We drummed it up pretty good," Daigneault said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 26, 2025

Builders have also amped up marketing and drummed up discounts to make newly built homes more attractive.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 24, 2025

They chanted, drummed and urged passersby to honk before blocking the street entirely.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2025

Mr. Curtain drummed his fingers on the journal in his lap, regarding Sticky with those unseen eyes.

From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart

Amid drumming and dancing, Boateng Bismark James leads 13 worshippers, nine men and four women, in prayer for drivers and passengers travelling to destinations across Ghana.

From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026

While throwing, the chimpanzees pant hoot — a loud, long-distance communicative signal — and sometimes repeatedly hit their hands and feet on the tree in a behavior called buttress drumming.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 28, 2026

The centerpiece is the three minutes where Travis calmly narrates the plane crash interspersed with him drumming, amid flames, in a way that captures each emotional beat of what he went through.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

To combat loneliness and help older residents earn some money, Yod has started a traditional drumming circle that performs at weddings and other occasions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

At least the drumming of the rain had stopped, and at least the canoe was still lying level on the water.

From "The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage" by Philip Pullman

Related Words

• strum