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

He formed Ambrosia in 1970 with Puerta on bass, singer and guitarist David Pack and drummer Burleigh Drummond.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2026

Earthless drummer and former pro skater Mario Rubalcaba skated the infamous Nude Bowl outside Desert Hot Springs while still a teenager and saw Kyuss play.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 19, 2026

The former Beatles drummer Sir Ringo Starr has announced a new album and released a new single.

From BBC • Mar. 4, 2026

Mr. Scaggs’s warm vocal on the track rides atop a powerful dance-funk instrumental sustained by drummer Jeff Porcaro, David Hungate’s pulsing bass and Mr. Paich’s synthesizers.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 23, 2026

Thus, it was a matter of only some five or six streets until we reached the main square on the waterfront, where stood our colors and the Regimental drummer, who resolutely beat our retreat.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson