drum

[ druhm ]

/ drʌm /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: drum / drummed / drumming on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural drums, (especially collectively for 11) drum.

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.

any hollow tree or similar object or device used in this way.

the sound produced by such an instrument, object, or device.

any rumbling or deep booming sound.

a natural organ by which an animal produces a loud or bass sound.

eardrum.

any cylindrical object with flat ends.

a cylindrical part of a machine.

a cylindrical box or receptacle, especially a large, metal one for storing or transporting liquids.

Also called tambour .Architecture.

any of several cylindrical or nearly cylindrical stones laid one above the other to form a column or pier.
a cylindrical or faceted construction supporting a dome.

any of several marine and freshwater fishes of the family Sciaenidae that produce a drumming sound.

Also called drum memory .Computers. magnetic drum.

Archaic. an assembly of fashionable people at a private house in the evening.

a person who plays the drum.

Australian Informal. reliable, confidential, or profitable information: to give someone the drum.

verb (used without object), drummed,drum·ming.

to beat or play a drum.

to beat on anything rhythmically, especially to tap one's fingers rhythmically on a hard surface.

to make a sound like that of a drum; resound.

(of ruffed grouse and other birds) to produce a sound resembling drumming.

verb (used with object), drummed,drum·ming.

to beat (a drum) rhythmically; perform by beating a drum: to drum a rhythm for dancers.

to call or summon by, or as if by, beating a drum.

to drive or force by persistent repetition: to drum an idea into someone.

to fill a drum with; store in a drum: to drum contaminated water and dispose of it.

Verb Phrases

drum out,

(formerly) to expel or dismiss from a military service in disgrace to the beat of a drum.
to dismiss in disgrace: He was drummed out of the university for his gambling activities.

drum up,

to call or summon by, or as if by, beating a drum.
to obtain or create (customers, trade, interest, etc.) through vigorous effort: They were unable to drum up enthusiasm for the new policies.
to concoct; devise: to drum up new methods of dealing with urban crime.

QUIZ

ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?

We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.

Question 1 of 8

Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?

navy

beryl

azure

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing

Idioms about drum

beat the drum, to promote, publicize, or advertise: The boss is out beating the drum for a new product.

Origin of drum

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

OTHER WORDS FROM drum

un·der·drum·ming, noun

Words nearby drum

Druid, Druidess, druidism, druidology, Druid stone, drum, drum and bugle corps, drumbeat, drumbeater, drum brake, drum corps

Other definitions for drum (2 of 2)

drum²

[ druhm ]

/ drʌm /

noun Scot., Irish English.

a long, narrow hill or ridge.

Origin of drum

First recorded in 1725–35; from Irish and Scots Gaelic druim, of unknown origin

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use drum in a sentence

It also would have enhanced the sounds of drums or other musical instruments, Cox says.
Stonehenge enhanced voices and music within the stone ring|Bruce Bower|September 29, 2020|Science News For Students
All that to be said, I think the drum we advertisers need to be beating isn’t primarily “who owns the data”, though certainly let’s get that determined.
This decade’s most important marketing question: What data rights do advertisers possess?|Kirk Williams|September 17, 2020|Search Engine Land
Clicking on different objects, like the clock and the piano, prompts the user to adjust different tracks, like the drum line and melody.
Create your own moody quarantine music with Google’s AI|Karen Hao|September 4, 2020|MIT Technology Review
Authorities are trying to figure out what to do about a drum circle in Ocean Beach.
Morning Report: Rural Districts Still Scrambling to Prepare for Online Learning|Voice of San Diego|August 12, 2020|Voice of San Diego

As our lives pass day by day, the beating drums of the weekly routine take over and years pass until we reach our goal of retirement.
The Global Work Crisis: Automation, the Case Against Jobs, and What to Do About It|Peter Xing|August 6, 2020|Singularity Hub
Even his signature instrument, Auto-Tune, has become as accepted an ingredient in hip-hop as the drum machine.
Future Makes Us Rethink Everything We Thought We Knew About Rap Artists|Luke Hopping|December 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
One man, straddling a large drum, keeps time as their voices rise in song: “Believe it, people, Ebola can kill.”
Meet the Liberian Girls Beating Ebola|Abby Haglage|October 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They marched through the streets of downtown New York to the synchronized beats of the Continental drum corps that followed.
New York’s Century-Old Time Capsule Is a Dud|Justin Jones|October 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It sounds familiar—right down to the media drum beat to lower physician pay.
Will US Health Care Follow in China’s Bloody Footsteps?|Daniela Drake|September 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And much of his most inspired playing, in his final years, came in the context of sax-drum duets.
What if Jazz Giant John Coltrane Had Lived?|Ted Gioia|September 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Roulard had played the trumpet in the regimental band in which Aristide had played the kettle drum.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke
There a familiar sound met his ears—the roll of a drum followed by an incantation in a quavering, high-pitched voice.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke
"I wonder if 'twas a brass drum, such as has 'Eblubust Unum' printed on't," said Mrs. Slocum.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;|Various
His arm was drawn around the drum, and finally his whole body was drawn over the shaft, at a fearful rate.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;|Various
I think 6½ feet diameter for the fly, and 9½ inches diameter for the small wheel, will give speed enough to the drum.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2)|Francis Trevithick

British Dictionary definitions for drum (1 of 2)

drum¹

/ (drʌm) /

noun

music a percussion instrument sounded by striking a membrane stretched across the opening of a hollow cylinder or hemisphere

beat the drum for informal to attempt to arouse interest in

the sound produced by a drum or any similar sound

an object that resembles a drum in shape, such as a large spool or a cylindrical container

architect

one of a number of cylindrical blocks of stone used to construct the shaft of a column
the wall or structure supporting a dome or cupola

short for eardrum

Also called: drumfish any of various North American marine and freshwater sciaenid fishes, such as Equetus pulcher (striped drum), that utter a drumming sound

a type of hollow rotor for steam turbines or axial compressors

computing a rotating cylindrical device on which data may be stored for later retrieval: now mostly superseded by disksSee disk (def. 2)

archaic a drummer

the drum Australian informal the necessary information (esp in the phrase give (someone) the drum)

verb drums, drumming or drummed

to play (music) on or as if on a drum

to beat or tap (the fingers) rhythmically or regularly

(intr) (of birds) to produce a rhythmic sound, as by beating the bill against a tree, branch, etc

(tr sometimes foll by up) to summon or call by drumming

(tr) to instil by constant repetitionto drum an idea into someone's head

Word Origin for drum

C16: probably from Middle Dutch tromme, of imitative origin

British Dictionary definitions for drum (2 of 2)

drum²

/ (drʌm) /

noun

Scot and Irish a narrow ridge or hill

Word Origin for drum

C18: from Scottish Gaelic druim

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

Medical definitions for drum

drum

[ drŭm ]

eardrum

drum

Idioms about drum

Origin of drum

OTHER WORDS FROM drum

Words nearby drum

Other definitions for drum (2 of 2)

Origin of drum

Words related to drum

How to use drum in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for drum (1 of 2)

Word Origin for drum

British Dictionary definitions for drum (2 of 2)

Word Origin for drum

Medical definitions for drum