noun
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a stick used for playing a drum
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the lower joint of the leg of a cooked fowl
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of drumstick
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How does drumstick compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Vocabulary lists containing drumstick
Musical Instruments - Introductory
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Musical Instruments - Middle School
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Musical Instruments - High School
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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.
See Examples For:
Much like that final drumstick you probably shouldn’t have eaten, equities spent last week digesting their gains.
From Barron's ● Dec. 7, 2025
"Under the meat of a drumstick, you'll find two bones -- the tibia, which is long and thick, and the fibula, which is much shorter and thinner," Manafzadeh explained.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 20, 2024
After that, Hernandez said, he snatched a drumstick out of her hands.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2023
When rapidly twirling it, and dragging the edges of a particular pan against a drumstick, he created a haunting, skittering effect — a restless signal of warning.
From New York Times ● Mar. 20, 2023
Wilson's drumstick came down in a mound of cranberry sauce.
From "The Contender" by Robert Lipsyte
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The two leaders also exchanged signed drumsticks after their performance.
From BBC ● Jan. 14, 2026
“Secretary of War” Pete Hegseth, appearing alongside his wife, is asked whether he prefers drumsticks, flats, or boneless wings.
From Slate ● Dec. 18, 2025
But customers are skipping drumsticks, breasts and thighs, reaching instead for sandwiches and tenders that have made Chick-fil-A, Dave’s Hot Chicken and Raising Cane’s some of the industry’s fastest-growing brands.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2025
If dark meat is your preference, turkey thighs and drumsticks are an option.
From Salon ● Nov. 28, 2024
Micah’s drumsticks are always either in his hands or in his pocket.
From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
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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.