Trivia Time

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

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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.

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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.

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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

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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

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noun

1. a repetitive strumming or recitation

Other Word Forms

• thrummer
  noun

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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”

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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

Outside the new Estadio da Luz, yet to be built when Mourinho last coached Benfica, there was a thrum of media activity and excitement as news broke of the veteran boss' return.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2025

With five pairs of steel strings, the aggressive guitar is responsible for following the requinto and enhancing the melody with its metallic thrum.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2024

I hear the whoosh of the little girl's blood racing through her body, and the thrum of her pulse floods my ears.

From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton

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

Their shantytown, nestled in the middle-class neighbourhood of Jodhpur Park, thrummed with life.

From BBC ● Dec. 16, 2024

As music thrummed in the background, guests congregated around the shiny orbs, which looked like a cross between a giant eight ball and HAL 9000, the rogue computer in “2001: A Space Odyssey.”

From New York Times ● Aug. 7, 2023

By the 1980s, much of downtown was moribund; buildings that once thrummed with commerce were dilapidated and vacant or underused.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 20, 2023

What about Ivy? still thrummed too strongly in her brain.

From "The School for Whatnots" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

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

As the title suggests, thrumming as a low note throughout “Who’s the Favorite?” is the perceived reality of sibling competition.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 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

In the 1970s, Black Sabbath prioritized gouging grooves, thrumming basslines and ponderous drums; they treated their albums like cohesive sonic statements.

From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2025

My body was thrumming with anxious unspent energy, and I could hear Chubs muttering to himself, as if trying to work through the night’s events.

From "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken

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