Dictionary.com

strum

1
[ struhm ]
/ strʌm /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR strum ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), strummed, strum·ming.

to play on (a stringed musical instrument) by running the fingers lightly across the strings.
to produce (notes, a melody, etc.) by such playing: to strum a tune.

verb (used without object), strummed, strum·ming.

to play on a stringed musical instrument by running the fingers lightly across the strings.

noun

the act of strumming.
the sound produced by strumming.

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Origin of strum

1
1765–75; perhaps blend of string and thrum1

OTHER WORDS FROM strum

strummer, noun

Words nearby strum

structureless, strudel, struggle, struggle bus, struggle for existence, strum, struma, struma lymphomatosa, struma ovarii, strumectomy, strumiform

Definition for strum (2 of 2)

strum2
[ struhm ]
/ strʌm /

noun

a strainer, as at the inlet of a system of tubing.

Origin of strum

2
Origin uncertain
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to strum

plunk, pluck, pick

Example sentences from the Web for strum

British Dictionary definitions for strum

strum
/ (strʌm) /

verb strums, strumming or strummed

to sound (the strings of a guitar, banjo, etc) with a downward or upward sweep of the thumb or of a plectrum
to play (chords, a tune, etc) in this way

Derived forms of strum

strummer, noun

Word Origin for strum

C18: probably of imitative origin; see thrum 1
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