drummer

American  

[druhm-er] / ˈdrʌm ər /

noun

1. a person who plays a drum.

2. a commercial traveler or traveling sales representative.

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idioms

1. march to a different drummer, to be motivated by a different set of values than the average person.

drummer British  

/ ˈdrʌmə /

noun

1. a person who plays a drum or set of drums

2. a salesman, esp a travelling salesman

3. slang the slowest shearer in a team

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drummer More Idioms  

1. see march to a different beat (drummer).

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Etymology

Origin of drummer

First recorded in 1565–75; drum ¹ + -er ¹

Example Sentences

His father was a drummer, and when Gadson and his brother were teenagers they played in a doo-wop group called the Carpets.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

The trio was soon joined by trumpeter Aquiles Navarro and drummer Tcheser Holmes.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2026

Her soon-to-be husband Harry, the drummer in McFly, had just gone off surfing.

From BBC • Mar. 22, 2026

The drummer Ginger Baker said he sported an SS officer’s cap because the war was “not a thing to forget or let happen again.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 25, 2026

“You’ll be a drummer, a singer. I’ll dance for you,” she said.

From "The Birchbark House" by Louise Erdrich