red drum

American  

noun

Ichthyology.

1. a large, edible fish, Sciaenops ocellatus, living in waters off the Atlantic coast of the United States: noted for the drumming sound made by the males when spawning.

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Etymology

Origin of red drum

An Americanism dating back to 1700–10

Example Sentences

The red drum are good and active in the afternoons.

From Washington Times • Apr. 1, 2020

That was the first in a handful of times I have played with a band, on Clyde Stubblefield’s red drum set.

From Salon • Feb. 18, 2019

Sugelema pointed to a man with a red drum at his feet.

From The Guardian • Dec. 17, 2016

A plague of red drum fish that prey heavily on juvenile crabs decimated them in 2013.

From Washington Post • Feb. 12, 2015

It was a red drum, heavy as anything she’d ever caught.

From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn