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drumstick

American  
[druhm-stik] / ˈdrʌmˌstɪk /

noun

  • drumsticks
    plural
  1. a stick for beating a drum.

  2. the meaty leg of a chicken, duck, turkey, or other fowl.


drumstick British  
/ ˈdrʌmˌstɪk /

noun

  1. a stick used for playing a drum

  2. the lower joint of the leg of a cooked fowl

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms


Etymology

Origin of drumstick

First recorded in 1580–90; drum 1 + stick 1


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Vocabulary lists containing drumstick

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Her first hit item was a baby rattle shaped like a chicken drumstick that was sold wrapped in cellophane, much like a meat-counter purchase.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

Much like that final drumstick you probably shouldn’t have eaten, equities spent last week digesting their gains.

From Barron's ● Dec. 7, 2025

The researchers found that in birds, the tibial joint surfaces have curved arcs, and the shortened fibula is able to roll within the bird's drumstick for about its length relative to the tibia.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 20, 2024

"Remember Burkes," I said while tearing into a drumstick, "I would be satisfied if I had some of those . . ."

From Salon ● Mar. 11, 2024

She took a bite of a drumstick and then used a paper towel to squash a roach that had crawled out hoping to get at some of her dinner.

From "The Stars Beneath Our Feet" by David Barclay Moore

A liter of milk costs 1,600 pesos, she said, and one small package of chicken drumsticks is 2,000.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 10, 2026

“Secretary of War” Pete Hegseth, appearing alongside his wife, is asked whether he prefers drumsticks, flats, or boneless wings.

From Slate ● Dec. 18, 2025

As she sat out the quarter-final win over Scotland with concussion, Kildunne was one of those to enthusiastically take up the drumsticks.

From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2025

Ruffin told me he’s been holding onto a pair of Ayers’ drumsticks for years.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 14, 2025

The previous year my mother had been promoted into a clean section, where she worked cutting drumsticks and thighs off the bodies of the chickens.

From "Kira-Kira" by Cynthia Kadohata

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