Synonyms

drummer

American

[druhm-er] / ˈdrʌm ər /

noun

a person who plays a drum.
a commercial traveler or traveling sales representative.

idioms

march to a different drummer, to be motivated by a different set of values than the average person.

drummer British

/ ˈdrʌmə /

noun

a person who plays a drum or set of drums
a salesman, esp a travelling salesman
slang the slowest shearer in a team

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

drummer More Idioms

see march to a different beat (drummer).

Etymology

Origin of drummer

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Economic conditions change, and often the stock markets march to their own drummers.

From Los Angeles Times

The drummer Ginger Baker said he sported an SS officer’s cap because the war was “not a thing to forget or let happen again.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Paul McManus, a drummer with the Scottish band Gun, has since taken up the case.

From BBC

In the film, BJ, a failed karaoke bar R&B musician, gets a lucky chance to go to Korea and be the drummer for a popular K-pop competition series.

From Los Angeles Times

Earlier this month millionaire businessman and rock drummer Paul McManus confirmed he would fund the action after Moira agreed to transfer the legal rights of the case.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023