Noun

1. A percussive musical instrument spanned with a thin covering on at least one end for striking, forming an acoustic chamber, affecting what materials are used to make it.
2. Any similar hollow, cylindrical object.
3. In particular, a barrel or large cylindrical container for liquid transport and storage.

   The restaurant ordered ketchup in 50-gallon drums.

4. A social gathering or assembly held in the evening.
   • 1749, Henry Fielding, Tom Jones, Folio Society 1973, p. 631:

     Another misfortune which befel poor Sophia, was the company of Lord Fellamar, whom she met at the opera, and who attended her to the drum.

5. The encircling wall that supports a dome or cupola
6. Any of the cylindrical blocks that make up the shaft of a pillar

Verb

1. (music) To beat a drum.
2. To knock successively and playfully.

   Drumming one’s fingers on a table is often an expression of impatience or annoyance.

3. To drill or review in an attempt to establish memorization.

   He’s still trying to drum Spanish verb conjugations into my head.