Definition of "drum" []

• A percussion instrument consisting of a hollow cylinder or hemisphere with a membrane stretched tightly over one or both ends, played by beating with the hands or sticks. (noun)
• A sound produced by this instrument. (noun)
• Something resembling a drum in shape or structure, especially a barrellike metal container or a metal cylinder wound with cable, wire, or heavy rope. (noun)
• Architecture A circular or polygonal wall supporting a dome or cupola. Also called tambour. (noun)
• Architecture Any of the cylindrical stone blocks that are stacked to form the shaft of a column. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "That is what I call drum roll, please, the ethic of identity."
• "The kit comes with the only tool you need, which is what they call a drum key."
• "The drum is graduated for the complete radius — ­ which took some tall figuring, I assure you — ­and the cable, winding around the drum and shortening, draws the tractor in toward the center."