drum (drums plural & 3rd person present) (drumming present participle) (drummed past tense & past participle )
1 n-count A drum is a musical instrument consisting of a skin stretched tightly over a round frame. You play a drum by beating it with sticks or with your hands.
oft the N
2 n-count A drum is a large cylindrical container which is used to store fuel or other substances.
usu with supp
...an oil drum.
3 verb If something drumson a surface, or if you drum something on a surface, it hits it regularly, making a continuous beating sound.
He drummed his fingers on the leather top of his desk... V n on/against n
Rain drummed on the roof of the car. V on n
5 If someone beats the drum or bangs the drumfor something, they support it strongly.
beat the drum for/bang the drum for phrase V inflects drum into phrasal verb If you drum something into someone, you keep saying it to them until they understand it or remember it. usu passive Standard examples were drummed into students' heads... be V-ed P n They drummed it into her that she was not to tell anyone. V it P n that drum out phrasal verb If someone is drummed out of an organization such as the armed forces or a club, they are forced to leave it, usually because they have done something wrong. usu passive Sailors caught in a drugs scandal are to be drummed out of the service. be V-ed P P n drum up phrasal verb If you drum up support or business, you try to get it. It is to be hoped that he is merely drumming up business. V P n (not pron)
drum kit (drum kits plural )A drum kit is a set of drums and cymbals. n-count
drum major (drum majors plural )
1 n-count A drum major is a sergeant in the army who is in charge of the drummers in a military band, or who leads the band when they are marching.
(BRIT)
2 n-count A drum major is a man who leads a marching band by walking in front of them.
(AM)
drum majorette (drum majorettes plural )A drum majorette is a girl or young woman who wears a uniform and carries a stick which at intervals she throws into the air and catches. Drum majorettes march, often in lines, in front of a band as part of a procession. n-count
drum roll (drum rolls plural ), drumroll A drum roll is a series of drumbeats that follow each other so quickly that they make a continuous sound. A drum roll is often used to show that someone important is arriving, or to introduce someone. n-count
A long drum roll introduced the trapeze artists.
snare drum (snare drums plural )A snare drum is a small drum used in orchestras and bands. Snare drums are usually played with wooden sticks, and make a continuous sound. n-count
