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Synonyms

drum up

British  

verb

  1. (tr, adverb) to evoke or obtain (support, business, etc) by solicitation or canvassing

"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
drum up Idioms  

  1. Bring about by persistent effort, as in I'm trying to drum up more customers , or We have to drum up support for this amendment . This expression alludes to making repeated drumbeats. [Mid-1800s]

  2. Devise, invent, obtain, as in He hoped to drum up an alibi . [Mid-1800s]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Neugebauer and his allies wouldn’t need to drum up much support to force a meeting.

From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026

The aim would be to bolster a stagnant labor market and drum up demand in key areas of the economy such as housing that have suffered from high borrowing costs.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 17, 2026

Ranking in the bottom five among big league pitchers in run support last season, the Dodgers couldn’t drum up support for their ace of aces Wednesday either.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

It also helped drum up leads for his business.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 14, 2026

Picture all the student participation I haven’t been able to drum up over the years cashing in at the same time—with interest.

From "Linked" by Gordon Korman

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.