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.

---

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.

---

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 )

---

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

---

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

Everyone in the room grabbed either shakers or a small drum, and with Densmore instructing and conducting, the ensemble conjured what he called the heartbeat of Mother Earth.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026

The king gave him the name, which means the "one who comes with the royal drum".

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

This group, with drummer Johnathan Blake and bassist Robert Hurst, is more percussive than most, turning what can be a genteel setting into something close to a drum circle.

From The Wall Street Journal ● 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

And a boy who looks about my age is playing the smaller drum.

From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar

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

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

That’s inspired by the Sundays’ “Gone,” and the drums sound like Cocteau Twins.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026

British counterterror police said the seized material in black drums wasn’t workable explosives, though they are still investigating.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

When a scouting party spotted a herd, Ne-kah-e-se-y and the other hunters raced on their horses across the plains, the hooves pounding the earth like drums, the manes whipping the riders’ sweating, gleaming faces.

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann

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

"Love Story" drummed up controversy -- and viewers -- with its revisiting of the A-list couple's courtship and untimely deaths, but it only earned six nominations.

From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 2026

"I have impartiality through my bones," he told the committee, saying it was "drummed" into him when he joined the BBC in 1991.

From BBC ● Nov. 24, 2025

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

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 24, 2025

Daddy just drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, over and over again, tapping out some melody I couldn’t hear.

From "The Lions of Little Rock" by Kristin Levine

Taylor was born in King's Lynn, Norfolk, and was drawn to drumming from an early age.

From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026

Film magazine Variety said Malkovich was "drumming up awards buzz" and tipped him for a possible first best actor Oscar at the next awards ceremony.

From Barron's ● Sep. 12, 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

But it also endeavored to sound different from previous fantasy media, replacing twee flutes with composer Ramin Djawadi’s deep strings, rhythmic drumming and a theme song that sought to inspire its audience to battle.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026

The only thing I had in my mind as I drifted off to sleep was the drumming of a single word, over and over.

From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff

Related Words

• strum