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

During concerts, Carlos Niño may set up a bass drum and a floor tom, but his percussion is far from conventional.

From New York Times • May 13, 2024

At his signal, the strings went off on a pizzicato run, buoyed by harps and congas, before dissolving into a bass drum pulse beneath simmering horns.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 5, 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

Mo- qorro’s voice was a bass drum that seemed to boom from somewhere deep within his massive torso.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin