drum machine

noun

: an electronic device that simulates the sound of drums

Examples of drum machine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In the mid-1980s, producers and DJs introduced synthesizers and drum machines to dancehall reggae, which had emerged in Jamaica a few years before. Leslie Shapiro, Washington Post, 1 Feb. 2024 Peter had been buying drum machines and vintage keyboards and odds and ends for some time in preparation for making a different record. Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 2 Nov. 2023 As hip-hop, one such scene, emerged in the U.S., Grainge observed how technology, in the form of early samplers and drum machines, could enfranchise artists who lacked access to instruments, music lessons, and studios. John Seabrook, The New Yorker, 29 Jan. 2024 Then, a snippet which pictured JT from behind the stage curtain, thanking an audience over the sound of an old school analogue drum machine and lo-fi organ, lifted from the video’s intro. Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 25 Jan. 2024 There were lawsuits filed over (the surge of) drum machines. George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Jan. 2024 Related The skeptics have legitimate points, but skeptics also protested electronic instruments, drum machines, CDs, file sharing and programmed tracks. Tom Roland, Billboard, 22 Nov. 2023 Where Adore worked around original drummer Jimmy Chamberlin’s absence with gentle ballads and drum machine grooves, Oceania is an attempt to capture the steamrolling power of early ‘90s Pumpkins without the classic lineup. Al Shipley, SPIN, 5 May 2023 Peter had bought a bunch of vintage keyboards and old drum machines. Eric Renner Brown, Billboard, 9 Nov. 2023

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

1976, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of drum machine was in 1976

Dictionary Entries Near drum machine

Cite this Entry

“Drum machine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/drum%20machine. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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