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

A cello’s has the aura of a bass drum.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 25, 2025

Here are some facts that will help you understand why it’s so very hard to stay cool in your home when the sun is beating on it like a bass drum.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 3, 2024

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

I looked up in the middle of a Led Zeppelin drum solo, and my dad was sitting on the beat-up old couch about 8 feet in front of my bass drum.

From "Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie" by Jordan Sonnenblick