drum up

phraseC1Not compared — the two pools are counted one word at a time, so a phrase has no score

To drum up is to work hard at gathering support or custom. Going out and finding it rather than waiting.

It takes business, support, interest and enthusiasm, so drumming up business is what a struggling trader does. The image is a drummer going round attracting a crowd, which is exactly what it once meant. It splits round an object. There is always a suggestion of effort and sometimes of desperation, since nobody has to drum up interest in something already popular.

Definitions of drum up

1phrasedrum upTo gather support or custom through effort.C1
“They will have to drum up some interest before the launch.”

Practised in Phrasal Verbs, A Man Called Ove

First appears in chapter 7 of A Man Called Ove.

Practise this word

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drum up

phraseC1Not compared — the two pools are counted one word at a time, so a phrase has no score

To drum up is to work hard at gathering support or custom. Going out and finding it rather than waiting.

Definitions of drum up

1phrasedrum upTo gather support or custom through effort.C1
“They will have to drum up some interest before the launch.”

Practised in Phrasal Verbs, A Man Called Ove

First appears in chapter 7 of A Man Called Ove.

Practise this word