noun
-
a stick used for playing a drum
-
the lower joint of the leg of a cooked fowl
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of drumstick
Compare meaning
How does drumstick compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Vocabulary lists containing drumstick
Musical Instruments - Introductory
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Musical Instruments - Middle School
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Musical Instruments - High School
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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
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
Zack asks, putting down the drumstick he was gnawing on.
From "A Mango-Shaped Space" by Wendy Mass
Its internal speaker plays a rumbling soundtrack that sends the drumsticks attached to the instrument flittering, giving the sense of a ghostly presence tapping out a brooding dirge.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026
"You are my god," Sanae Takaichi, a hard rock enthusiast, told the band's drummer Ian Paice, beaming as she handed him a pair of signed Japanese-made drumsticks.
From BBC ● Apr. 11, 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
Ruffin told me he’s been holding onto a pair of Ayers’ drumsticks for years.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 14, 2025
Mamita and Mami and Tía Isa, not understanding that drumsticks are the only kind of drumsticks that will do on a drum, suggested pencils or the handles of wooden spoons used for making cake batter.
From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez
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.
