Trivia Time

When used in connection with a stringed instrument, the word thrum is an example of what?

Test Your Knowledge

thrum

¹ American  

[thruhm] / θrʌm /

verb (used without object)

thrummed, thrumming

1. 

   to play on a stringed instrument, as a guitar, by plucking the strings, especially in an idle, monotonous, or unskillful manner; strum.

2. to sound when thrummed on, as a guitar or similar stringed instrument.

3. to drum or tap idly with the fingers.

---

verb (used with object)

thrummed, thrumming

1. to play (a stringed instrument, or a melody on it) by plucking the strings, especially in an idle, monotonous, or unskillful manner; strum.

2. to drum or tap idly on.

3. to recite or tell in a monotonous way.

noun

1. an act or sound of thrumming; dull, monotonous sound.

thrum ² American  

[thruhm] / θrʌm /

noun

1. one of the ends of the warp threads in a loom, left unwoven and remaining attached to the loom when the web is cut off.

2. thrums, the row or fringe of such threads.

3. any short piece of waste thread or yarn; tuft, tassel, or fringe of threads, as at the edge of a piece of cloth.

4. Nautical. Often thrums short bits of rope yarn used for making mats.

---

verb (used with object)

thrummed, thrumming

1. Nautical. to insert short pieces of rope yarn through (canvas) and thus give it a rough surface, as for wrapping about a part to prevent chafing.

2. to furnish or cover with thrums, ends of thread, or tufts.

thrum ¹ British  

/ θrʌm /

noun

1. 1. any of the unwoven ends of warp thread remaining on the loom when the web has been removed

   2. such ends of thread collectively

2. a fringe or tassel of short unwoven threads

---

verb

1. (tr) to trim with thrums

thrum ² British  

/ θrʌm /

verb

1. to strum rhythmically but without expression on (a musical instrument)

2. (intr) to drum incessantly

   rain thrummed on the roof

3. to repeat (something) monotonously

---

noun

1. a repetitive strumming or recitation

Other Word Forms

• thrummer
  noun

---

Etymology

Origin of thrum¹

First recorded in 1545–55; imitative

Origin of thrum²

First recorded before 1000; Middle English noun thrum, thrum(m)e, “end-piece (from the warp of a loom)”, Old English -thrum (in tungethrum “ligament of the tongue”), cognate with Old High German drum “end-piece”; akin to Old Norse thrǫmr “brim, edge, verge,” Latin terminus, Greek térma “end”

---

Explanation

When you make a rhythmic strumming sound, either with your voice or a stringed instrument, you thrum. If you and your friends all play the guitar, it may be fun sometimes to sit around and thrum together, improvising tunes. This word can also be used as a noun, to describe the kind of melodic hum that guitar strings make when you strum them. So you might say you found your way back to the campsite by following the thrum of your mom's mandolin, or that you love the thrum of rain on the metal roof of your grandparents' house. Thrum, like strum and hum, is imitative, mimicking the sound it describes.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

thrum thrummed thrumming

Critics fear deep-sea mining will cause irreversible damage, smothering marine life in plumes of waste and disrupting oceanic migrations with the thrum of heavy machinery.

From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026

“Geopolitical gyrations, volatile short-term economic data and the incessant thrum of prediction markets all contribute to the cacophony,” to the point that many investors feel compelled to stick to the AI trade, she says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 4, 2026

With songs like “Paint by Numbers,” he pauses the album’s disco thrum to enjoy the simple pleasures of, well, living.

From Salon ● Mar. 6, 2026

The industrious thrum of the heavy-duty sewing machines, along with the workers' chatter, normally fills the plant with a reassuring rhythm.

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2025

The continuing thrum of the crickets was my only answer.

From "Endangered" by Eliot Schrefer

But underneath the pomp and circumstance thrummed a question: Could Garber land a megadonor he had been courting for roughly two years?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

At this summer’s performance at the Teragram Ballroom, Sullivan’s two feet and tap board thrummed along with Goldings’ Hammond B3 organ and extremities.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 11, 2023

Throughout it all, the perils of climate change, poverty and inequality have steadily, increasingly thrummed through each convening of world leaders at the U.N.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 17, 2023

His left hand thrummed guitarlike chords, chased bass lines into the mud, leaped through harmonies like a stride pianist’s would.

From New York Times ● Mar. 1, 2023

Outside, the great city murmured and thrummed and seethed, all its myriad voices blending into one low sound like the surge of the sea.

From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin

While the car’s Mood Modes include an accompanying soundtrack of thrumming, guttering performance sounds, I was happy to turn it off and rejoice in the well-wrought, hard-won quiet.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026

Instead, the wows come from good stagings of ordinary action: a car crash, a gripped crucifix, a hideout crowded with jostling, thrumming musical instruments.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026

But the sense of squandered opportunity is only heightened when you get to Don't Look Down - which marries a Bansuri flute motif to a thrumming trance beat.

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2025

She’s always seeking her father, not just in Skinner the soldier but in herself too, the remnants of his presence thrumming through her memory.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2025

In that moment, with so much bitterness thrumming inside him, he needed this sweetness.

From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• croon
• moan
• mumble
• murmur
• purr
• sing
• strum
• throb
• trill
• warble
• whisper

---