drummer

American  

[druhm-er] / ˈdrʌm ər /

noun

drummers plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• drummers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of drummer

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

Explanation

A drummer is a musician who plays the drums. The drummer in a rock band might play a huge set of many different drums and other percussion instruments. A professional drummer could play in a marching band, a classical symphony, or a country and western group. A casual drummer can be someone who taps on the bongoes in a city park or takes drumming lessons and practices in her basement. The word drummer comes from drum, which has a Germanic, imitative root — it's a word that sounds like its meaning.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

drummer drummers

The company’s other co-founders, Parillo, a musician, and Barbara O’Brien, who managed the drummer, each retained their original 10% stake.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026

“We’re closer than we’ve probably ever been,” Syd says of the band, whose drummer, Christoper Smith, put out yet another solo record on the same day as “Beard” and Lacy.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

Jimmy Eat World’s Adkins, Burch, drummer Zach Lind and guitarist Tom Linton earned recording money between tours by working construction, driving around car dealership customers and selling art supplies and auto parts.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

Her husband, George Daniel, is The 1975's drummer.

From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026

I could see a huge grin on his face, but I wasn’t affected too much by that until I remembered it later — I was just grooving on drummer autopilot.

From "Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie" by Jordan Sonnenblick

Streamer IShowSpeed took to the field at the New York New Jersey Stadium first, alongside drummers and dancers in vibrant tracksuits.

From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026

On “An Eraser and a Maze,” which features a rotating cast of drummers, including touring percussionist Damon Cox and Janet Weiss of Quasi and Sleater-Kinney, the pendulum swings in the opposite direction.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2026

Still, with those Senegalese drummers, Mr. Gibbs felt lost.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026

In a faded rehearsal hall in the gritty concrete sprawl of northern Rio de Janeiro, samba dancers and drummers fine-tune their rhythms for a grassroots carnival parade few tourists have heard of.

From Barron's ● Feb. 13, 2026

We think she ran off with one of Herman’s drummers.

From "Bud, Not Buddy" by Christopher Paul Curtis