drum up
Britishverb
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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]
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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.
“Madame X” was seen as Sargent’s calculated attempt to drum up attention, and Gautreau’s aim for the kind of legitimacy that sitting for one of Paris’ great artists could afford.
From Salon • May 6, 2026
Friar struggled to drum up investor interest, who were turned off by the company’s losses.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 2, 2026
Launched to drum up demand during the Covid pandemic, it cost £20 a month for up to five free drinks a day and discounted food.
From BBC • Apr. 27, 2026
Neugebauer and his allies wouldn’t need to drum up much support to force a meeting.
From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026
The agent smiled; Rudy Noyes did not drum up even the faintest wisp or flicker of amusement.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
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.
