bass drum

noun

plural bass drums
: a large drum that has two heads and produces a booming sound of low indefinite pitch
[The Beatles'] 18-year-old engineer Geoff Emerick transformed their sound by stuffing a sweater in Ringo's bass drum.Rob Sheffield
Thunderous bass drums and tom-toms predominate, delivering an oscillating groove over which the composer's voice floats …Tom Huizenga
see drum illustration

Examples of bass drum in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Then, the bass drums, snares, and symbols come alive with a thunderous roar. Matt Dursum, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Mar. 2023 Making a seamless record, where every note and syllable is in place and every bass drum is identical, is no trick. Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 8 May 2024 But the two drummers did arrive equipped with complementary bass drum heads, each depicting Méliès-like faces of the sun and the moon. Chris Willman, Variety, 9 Apr. 2024 Built around a riff on the Powerpuff Girls theme and a bass drum like a hiccuping heartbeat, the song was co-written by Erika de Casier, who expertly guides the group towards a soft, sensitive take on drum’n’bass. Pitchfork, 12 Dec. 2023 See all Example Sentences for bass drum 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bass drum.' 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

1789, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bass drum was in 1789

Dictionary Entries Near bass drum

Cite this Entry

“Bass drum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bass%20drum. Accessed 2 Jul. 2024.

Kids Definition

bass drum

noun
: a large drum that has two heads and that produces a booming sound

More from Merriam-Webster on bass drum

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