# drum

Pronunciation: say "DRUM" /ˈdɹʌm/

## Noun

1. A percussion instrument with a thin skin stretched over a hollow body, struck to produce sound; a membranophone.
   - Simple: A hollow instrument you hit to make a beat, with a tight skin stretched over the top.
   - _He tightened the skin on his drum before the concert._
   - _A steady beat on the drum kept the dancers in time._
2. A large cylindrical container, like a barrel, used for transporting and storing liquids.
   - Simple: A large round container, like a barrel, used to hold or move liquids.
   - _Workers loaded each drum of diesel onto the truck._
   - _The warehouse held hundreds of steel drums full of solvent._
3. A hollow, cylindrical object shaped like a barrel, especially a rotating part in a machine.
   - Simple: Any hollow, round, tube-shaped object shaped like a barrel.
   - _The winch drum slowly reeled in the anchor chain._
   - _Each drum on the printing press rotated at a fixed speed._
4. The lower leg of a cooked bird such as chicken or turkey; a drumstick. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: The lower leg part of a cooked bird, like chicken or turkey.
   - _She seasoned each drum before tossing them on the grill._
   - _Roast turkey drums are always the first to disappear at dinner._
10. The encircling wall that supports a dome or cupola, often raising it above the main structure.
   - Simple: The round wall that holds up a dome on top of a building.
   - _The architect pierced the drum with windows to flood the dome with light._
   - _A circular drum raises the cupola high above the crossing._
11. Any of the cylindrical stone blocks that, stacked together, make up the shaft of a pillar or column.
   - Simple: One of the round stone blocks stacked to form the shaft of a column.
   - _The column's lowest drum had cracked under centuries of weight._
   - _Masons aligned each drum carefully so the fluting ran continuously up the shaft._
12. A large, often brightly colored barrel set out to mark off lanes or hazards at a road construction site. *(US)*
   - Simple: A large plastic barrel used to block off or mark areas at a road work site.
   - _A drum marked the edge of the freshly poured concrete._
   - _Crews set out a row of drums to steer traffic away from the trench._
13. Any of various fish of the family Sciaenidae, commonly known as drumfish.
   - Simple: A type of fish that makes a low drumming or croaking sound.
   - _A large drum took the bait just as the tide turned._
   - _Anglers along the gulf coast prize red drums for their size and fight._
15. A tip or piece of information, especially one passed along privately. *(slang, Australia)*
   - Simple: A useful piece of information or a helpful tip.
   - _He gave me the drum on which horse to back._
   - _The reporter got the drum from a source inside the department._
16. A person's home or dwelling; a house or building, especially a shabby one, or a tavern or brothel. *(slang, UK)*
   - Simple: A person's home or house, especially a shabby or run-down one.
   - _The police turned over his drum looking for stolen goods._
   - _We crashed at her drum for the night after the gig._
17. An evening party, or any assembly of people that meets socially in the evening.
   - Simple: An evening party or gathering held in someone's home.
   - _Invitations to the season's most fashionable drum were keenly sought._
   - _The hostess opened her rooms for a crowded evening drum._

## Verb

5. To play a drum by striking it, especially in steady rhythm.
   - Simple: To play a drum by hitting it with hands or sticks.
   - _The performers drummed steadily as the procession passed._
   - _Children drum on anything within reach._
6. To strike repeatedly with a rapid succession of blows.
   - Simple: To hit something quickly over and over again.
   - _His fingers drummed nervously against the armrest._
   - _Hailstones drum on the rooftops throughout the night._
7. To fix something in the memory by repeated drilling or review.
   - Simple: To teach something by repeating it again and again until it sticks.
   - _Her instructor drummed the safety checklist into every recruit._
   - _Good tutors drum the multiplication tables into students until they're automatic._
8. To throb with a strong, steady beat, as the heart does.
   - Simple: To beat strongly and steadily, the way your heart does.
   - _His heart drummed wildly as he opened the letter._
   - _After sprinting, you can feel your heart drum against your ribs._
9. To produce a vocal or mechanical sound resembling drumming, as various animals do.
   - Simple: To make a fast, drum-like sound, as some animals and birds do.
   - _Ruffed grouse drum by beating their wings rapidly against the air._
   - _The fish drummed using muscles attached to its swim bladder._
14. To go about seeking to gather recruits, customers, or supporters, as a traveling salesman does.
   - Simple: To go around trying to find customers, supporters, or new members.
   - _The candidate's aides drum for votes at every county fair._
   - _She drummed for clients across three states before opening her own firm._

## Noun

18. A low hill, or a small ridge of hills. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: A small hill or a low line of hills.
   - _A solitary drum rose from the moorland, crowned with heather._
   - _They built the chapel atop the drum overlooking the glen._
19. A person's ear, considered as the organ of hearing. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: The ear: the part of the head used for hearing.
   - _A right hook clipped him on the drum and set his head ringing._
   - _The sergeant bawled so loud it nearly split the recruit's drum._

## Origin

**Meanings 1–3, 5–15, 19** — Perhaps a back-formation from "drumslade" (drummer), from Middle Dutch "trommelslach" (drumbeat), made of "trommel" (drum) and "slach" (beat). Or perhaps borrowed directly from a continental Germanic language, compare Middle Dutch "tromme" and Middle Low German "trumme" (drum), as well as Old High German "trumba" (trumpet).
**Meaning 18** — From Irish "druim" and Scottish Gaelic "druim" (back, ridge).

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/drum (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).