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Synonyms

drumstick

American  
[druhm-stik] / ˈdrʌmˌstɪk /

noun

drumsticks plural
  1. a stick for beating a drum.

  2. the meaty leg of a chicken, duck, turkey, or other fowl.


drumstick British  
/ ˈdrʌmˌstɪk /

noun

  1. a stick used for playing a drum

  2. the lower joint of the leg of a cooked fowl

"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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of drumstick

First recorded in 1580–90; drum 1 + stick 1

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Vocabulary lists containing drumstick

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.

Much like that final drumstick you probably shouldn’t have eaten, equities spent last week digesting their gains.

From Barron's • Dec. 7, 2025

You’ll be equal parts annoyed and delighted at its existence, while giving full kudos to the production design team that fashioned a Picasso-esque drumstick for Black to wave around.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 2, 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

Cut to a close-up of a happy wife biting into a drumstick.

From New York Times • Nov. 29, 2023

Lefty was waiting for us on the stoop, munching on a chicken drumstick.

From "Dragonwings" by Laurence Yep

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