DRUMBEAT

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does drumbeat mean? 

• DRUMBEAT (noun)
  The noun DRUMBEAT has 3 senses:

1. the sound made by beating a drum

2. (military) the beating of a drum as a signal for lowering the flag at sundown

3. a vehement and vociferous advocacy of a cause

  Familiarity information: DRUMBEAT used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• DRUMBEAT (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The sound made by beating a drum

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Synonyms:

drumbeat; rataplan; rub-a-dub

Hypernyms ("drumbeat" is a kind of...):

sound (the sudden occurrence of an audible event)

Sense 2

Meaning:

(military) the beating of a drum as a signal for lowering the flag at sundown

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Hypernyms ("drumbeat" is a kind of...):

sign; signal; signaling (any nonverbal action or gesture that encodes a message)

Domain category:

armed forces; armed services; military; military machine; war machine (the military forces of a nation)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "drumbeat"):

tattoo (a drumbeat or bugle call that signals the military to return to their quarters)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A vehement and vociferous advocacy of a cause

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Context example:

the warmongers kept up their drumbeat on Iraq

Hypernyms ("drumbeat" is a kind of...):

advocacy; protagonism (active support of an idea or cause etc.; especially the act of pleading or arguing for something)