drumbeat

noun

drum·​beat ˈdrəm-ˌbēt How to pronounce drumbeat (audio)
1
: a stroke on a drum or its sound
also : a series of such strokes
2
: vociferous advocacy of a cause
3
drumbeater noun
drumbeating noun

Examples of drumbeat in a Sentence

I could hear the drumbeat of a parade down the street. a dizzying drumbeat of interviews in the hours following her winning of the Academy Award
Recent Examples on the Web The drumbeat of headlines about layoffs is making workers feel less secure in their current positions. Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 7 Mar. 2024 The report comes amid a steady, dreary drumbeat of tech industry job cuts. George Avalos, The Mercury News, 26 Feb. 2024 The pro-recession drumbeat throughout most of 2023 likely contributed to many investors staying on the sidelines. Tom Aspray, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2024 But many successful ransomware attacks come from the sheer number of people trying to break into companies that might pay, leading to a drumbeat of large payments. Kevin Collier, NBC News, 7 Feb. 2024 Voters can expect to hear a steady drumbeat about the program in coming months, as Biden makes the argument that he’s succeeded in shoring up the nation’s economy and creating high-tech jobs. Eva Dou, Washington Post, 16 Jan. 2024 And the town of Lyman, with its steady drumbeat of distant and not-so-distant explosions, is emblematic of a nation caught in limbo, with no end in sight. Scott Peterson, The Christian Science Monitor, 23 Feb. 2024 With the appointment of new executive chef Julian Silvera, along with new culinary and service teams as of late last year, Los Gatos’ Tasting House is marching to a tighter, more precise drumbeat. Laura Ness, The Mercury News, 13 Feb. 2024 The radio silence from Willis and her team created a void that was filled with brutal media coverage and a drumbeat of officials, mostly Republicans — but some Democrats, too — calling for more investigations or for Willis' resignation. Daniel Klaidman, CBS News, 2 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'drumbeat.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1817, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of drumbeat was in 1817

Dictionary Entries Near drumbeat

Cite this Entry

“Drumbeat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/drumbeat. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

drumbeat

noun
drum·​beat ˈdrəm-ˌbēt How to pronounce drumbeat (audio)
: a stroke on a drum or its sound

More from Merriam-Webster on drumbeat

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