Meaning & use
drumhead
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
The thin stretched material across the top or bottom of a drum that you hit to make a sound.
Grammar: Countable: one drumhead, two drumheads; it is the playing surface, not the whole instrument.
Patterns
- replace a drumhead
- a drumhead is stretched
The drumhead on my snare has a small tear, so it needs replacing.
He tightened the drumhead until the sound was crisp and high.
nouncountablemilitaryformal
A court-martial held quickly, especially on a ship or in a war zone, to deal with a serious offense.
Grammar: Mainly in the fixed phrase "drumhead court-martial"; countable when used as a noun.
Patterns
- a drumhead court-martial
The officer was tried by a drumhead court-martial within hours of the incident.
In the novel, a drumhead court-martial sentences the sailor before dawn.
Word forms
| plural | drumheads |
|---|
Common combinations
- replace a drumhead
- You should replace a drumhead as soon as it loses its tone.
- tighten the drumhead
- Tighten the drumhead gradually to avoid damaging the rim.
- a torn drumhead
- A torn drumhead will buzz no matter how well you tune it.
- drumhead court-martial
- The captain ordered a drumhead court-martial for the accused soldier.
Synonyms and how they differ
- drum skin
- A common everyday term for the same material, often used by non-musicians.
- head
- The usual short word in music shops; "drumhead" is more explicit when the context is unclear.
Word family
Commonly confused: drumhead or drumhead court-martial?
drumhead vs drumhead court-martial
Learners sometimes think this means a court about drums; it actually means a fast military trial.
Practice
Which sentence uses "drumhead" correctly?
Choose one answer.
A drumhead is the stretched surface you hit, so it can crack and be replaced. The other options describe the drum shell, a bag, or volume, which are not the drumhead.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “drumhead”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.