bass drum

American  

[beys] / beɪs /

noun

bass drums plural

1. the largest and lowest toned of drums, having a cylindrical body and two membrane heads.

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bass drum British  

/ beɪs /

noun

1. Also called: gran cassa.  a large shallow drum of low and indefinite pitch

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bass drum Cultural  

1. The large drum with a cylindrical shape that gives the strong beat in brass bands.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• bass drums
  plural

Etymology

Origin of bass drum

First recorded in 1795–1805

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bass drum

The following track, “Death Wish,” is about the torment of a new love gone bad, and it unfolds over plucked acoustic guitars and a distant bass drum that sounds like a heartbeat.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

Lives Lived: In 1973, John Adams brought his bass drum to a Cleveland Indians game.

From New York Times ● Feb. 3, 2023

Adams first hauled a bass drum that he bought for $25 at a garage sale to a game at Municipal Stadium during the 1973 season.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 30, 2023

During his first summer as a professional actor, Bonneville played the bass drum in “Romeo and Juliet,” the cymbal in “Midsummer Night’s Dream” and an officer in Shaw’s “Arms and the Man.”

From Washington Post ● Nov. 7, 2022

It was like beating a bass drum in a hen-house.

From "Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale Hurston