strum

¹ American  

[struhm] / strʌm /

verb (used with object)

• strums,
  present (3rd person singular)
• strummed,
  past participle,  past
• strumming
  present participle

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

2. to produce (notes, a melody, etc.) by such playing.

   to strum a tune.

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verb (used without object)

• strums,
  present (3rd person singular)
• strummed,
  past participle,  past
• strumming
  present participle

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

noun

1. the act of strumming.

2. the sound produced by strumming.

strum ² American  

[struhm] / strʌm /

noun

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

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strum British  

/ strʌm /

verb

1. to sound (the strings of a guitar, banjo, etc) with a downward or upward sweep of the thumb or of a plectrum

2. to play (chords, a tune, etc) in this way

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• strummer
  noun

Inflected Forms

Participles

• strumming
  present
• strummed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• strum
  simple
• strums
  simple
• have strummed
  perfect
• has strummed
  perfect
• am strumming
  progressive
• are strumming
  progressive
• is strumming
  progressive
• have been strumming
  perfect progressive
• has been strumming
  perfect progressive

Past

• strummed
  simple
• had strummed
  perfect
• was strumming
  progressive
• were strumming
  progressive
• had been strumming
  perfect progressive

Future

• will strum
  simple
• will have strummed
  perfect
• will be strumming
  progressive
• will have been strumming
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of strum¹

1765–75; perhaps blend of string and thrum ¹

Origin of strum²

Origin uncertain

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Explanation

To strum is to play a guitar or another stringed instrument by brushing the strings with your fingers. It's pretty easy to strum a ukulele, but it sounds better if you know some chords. You might tell the guitar player in your band, "Strum a few chords of that song we wrote yesterday." You can also strum idly on your sister's banjo without playing actual chords, just by running your thumb down the strings. Strum is a noun, too, meaning "the sound or act of strumming." This word dates from the 18th century, and experts think it's imitative, sounding a bit like an actual strum.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

strum strums strummed strumming

The two musicians play, pluck, strike and strum their instrument to brilliant effect on a record that straddles jazz and contemporary classical.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026

He began at midday on Wednesday and with a plan to strum his last chord at 18:00 BST on Thursday, he could end up beating the previous official record by six hours.

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2025

At the 1969 Montreal recording of “Give Peace a Chance,” only two acoustic guitars strum along.

From New York Times ● Dec. 28, 2023

They strum and sing together in her kitchen and in the park, and she offers frank notes on his songs, the shared experience of making music allowing them to traverse oceans and continents.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 28, 2023

Now he started to strum another tune, which prompted Elvio and Catarina to get off the floor and start a queer sort of twisting, arm-waving dance.

From "Lupita Mañana" by Patricia Beatty

“I did that yesterday, when I was a kid,” he sings over hectic guitar strums, and his trilling digital falsetto, warped to maximize irritation, makes clear that those days are far behind him.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

Sporting noise-canceling headphones, she sings and strums along to a grunge track as Alma watches from outside her periphery.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2024

Her raspy but commanding voice is one you cannot miss when she strums her guitar or banjo.

From Salon ● May 19, 2024

He strums the guitar and softly delivers the lines:

From BBC ● Jan. 1, 2024

The guitarist has long hair pulled into a thick braid that swishes a beat after he strums the guitar.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham on Monday strummed on a guitar and also went to a shopping mall destroyed by a Russian strike as he visited Kyiv to show his country's support for Ukraine.

From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026

Over a lightly strummed acoustic guitar, she describes a desire to get off the grid and return to wide-open spaces.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 5, 2026

String quartets strummed their way through classical covers of pop hits.

From Salon ● Mar. 4, 2026

Kurt Cobain strummed the grunge anthem’s iconic four-chord opening riff on a 1969 Fender Mustang, Lake Placid Blue with a signature racing stripe.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 2, 2026

She strummed a couple of chords, then raised her face.

From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt

From the opening title track, we get quiet-to-loud structures with ominous minor-key guitar strumming that explodes on choruses, becoming saturated with distortion.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

The singer said he was in a Miami hotel while writing the song, strumming his guitar and admiring the coastal view.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026

“It has none of those elements one sees so often: festivals of wrought iron, little Juliet balconies, guitars strumming in every corner,” he recalled in his 1998 interview.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026

But her guitar was banned from the set - so she made the beat by strumming her acrylic nails together.

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

The old woman advanced through the field, hands up and strumming the threads of magic in the air.

From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack

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