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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.

Millions and millions of dollars are poured into the sprawling motion picture economy of Los Angeles to drum up support for the year’s Academy Award nominees.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 15, 2026

It also helped drum up leads for his business.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 14, 2026

The airline for years stuck with a one-size-fits-all approach that fell out of sync with competitors, which dove deeper into tiered fares and charging for different services as a way to drum up more profits.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 27, 2026

Rodríguez also travelled to China, Vietnam and Spain trying to drum up support.

From BBC • Feb. 27, 2026

I shut out all those worries—like what would happen if we tested Dragonwings and it did not fly, or how to drum up an audience if Dragonwings did test out.

From "Dragonwings" by Laurence Yep

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.