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.
Their release comes as authorities continue to try to drum up leads in the case, which garnered national attention.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
The programme has turned the squad, who drum up support for the American football team, into celebrities in their own right thanks to its mix of viral moments and drama.
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026
Lenders are trying to drum up more business in a stalled housing market.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2026
Fintech firm Clear Street pulled the plug on its IPO plans in February after failing to drum up enough interest, blaming market volatility.
From Barron's ● May 17, 2026
To drum up public support for the law, legal injunctions were bolstered by insidious propaganda—a formula that the Nazis would eventually bring to monstrous perfection.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
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.
