thrum

1 of 4

verb (1)

ˈthrəm 

thrummed; thrumming

intransitive verb

1

: to sound with a monotonous hum

2

: to play or pluck a stringed instrument idly : strum

transitive verb

1

: to play (something, such as a stringed instrument) in an idle or relaxed manner

2

: to recite tiresomely or monotonously

thrum

2 of 4

noun (1)

: the monotonous sound of thrumming

thrum

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noun (2)

1

a(1)

: a fringe of warp threads left on the loom after the cloth has been removed

(2)

: one of these warp threads

b

: a tuft or short piece of rope yarn used in thrumming canvas

—usually used in plural

c

: bit, particle

2

: a hair, fiber, or threadlike leaf on a plant

also : a tuft or fringe of such structures

thrum adjective

thrum

4 of 4

verb (2)

thrummed; thrumming

transitive verb

1

: to furnish with thrums : fringe

2

: to insert short pieces of rope yarn or spun yarn in (a piece of canvas) to make a rough surface or a mat which can be wrapped about rigging to prevent chafing

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• hum
• purr
• buzz

Examples of thrum in a Sentence

Noun (1)

the steady thrum of the turbines in the power plant

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The South Pasadena, Calif., hardware store thrummed with the usual rhythms of a Wednesday night: customers browsing shelves, cash registers chiming, the low hum of fluorescent lights overhead. —Jp Mangalindan, Time, 4 June 2025

Step closer, and the source comes into view: squat metal buildings that look like shipping containers arrayed in a semicircle, thrumming with fans and processors. —Dina Temple-Raston, Wired News, 23 May 2025

Noun

The low thrum of a crowd as the playlist slides from early ’90s R&B to a warm wave of Afrobeats. —Joseph Hernandez, Bon Appetit Magazine, 30 May 2025

While the factory floor buzzes with the thrums of conveyor belts and sheeters, with a couple dozen employees scattered across the various stages of production, the area by the entrance functions as a sort of Streit’s museum, with old machines and tools from the original factory out on display. —Joseph Strauss, Sun Sentinel, 8 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

imitative

Noun (2)

Middle English, from Old English -thrum (in tungethrum ligament of the tongue); akin to Old High German drum fragment

First Known Use

Verb (1)

1592, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 2

Noun (1)

1798, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Verb (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for thrum

• bum
• chum
• come
• crum
• cum
• drum
• dum
• dumb
• from
• frum
• glum
• gum

Kids Definition

thrum

verb

ˈthrəm

thrummed; thrumming

: to sound or speak with a steady or boring rhythm

thrum noun