How to Use strum in a Sentence

strum

1 of 2 noun
Definition of strumnext
  • After a brief guitar strum, the song's first verse hits square in the gut.
    — chicagotribune.com, 18 July 2017
  • You are invited to bring your ukulele to sing, strum and have a good time.
    — cleveland, 10 Jan. 2020
  • The flickering strum of a wheeled double bass set the tone inside the Metro car.
    — Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 7 Nov. 2023
  • All that's missing here is a quick strum of his air guitar.
    — Dakota Crawford, Indianapolis Star, 7 June 2018
  • Or maybe a guitar strum or even the fluid sound of a clarinet.
    — Nick Hoppe, San Francisco Chronicle, 6 Apr. 2018
  • One too-tall Elvis strums a ukulele, strolling up and down the line along the gates and nodding solemnly, the crowd just slightly hushed.
    — Caki Wilkinson, The New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2020
  • With that simple premise—and the strum of an Eb major chord—a five-minute tear-jerker is born.
    — Southern Living, 17 Oct. 2017
  • Things like scales, chords and strum patterns will be reviewed.
    — Ellen McAlpine, CNN Underscored, 28 Dec. 2020
  • On the downward strum, use the back of your index finger — the nail, really.
    — Washington Post, 1 Oct. 2020
  • But then a Bad Boy named Wes came along and ruined it for all of us with a simple strum of his guitar.
    — Anabel Pasarow, refinery29.com, 10 Mar. 2020
  • That’s clear in the guitar-strum intro and in her earnest, emotional singing.
    — Raisa Bruner, Time, 14 Feb. 2020
  • Just think of the opening scene where clapping horse hooves merge with the delicate strum of a banjo.
    — Kalia Richardson, Rolling Stone, 25 Dec. 2023
  • In the photo, Mayer played a light purple guitar while Ben watched his dad's friend strum.
    — Daniela Avila, Peoplemag, 29 Dec. 2022
  • Pinterest With that simple premise—and the strum of an Eb major chord—a five-minute tear-jerker is born.
    — Perri Ormont Blumberg, PEOPLE.com, 19 Oct. 2017
  • Heavy guitar strums start the trudging tune forward, followed closely by punchy vocals that add a bit of swing to the mix.
    — Kat Bein, Billboard, 7 Dec. 2017
  • For a little bit of folk salvation, turn to Bon Iver, whose evocative strums and lilting voice speak straight to the soul.
    — Raisa Bruner, Time, 30 May 2018
  • My own love—for flamenco and my father—grows deeper with each strum.
    — Sofia Perez, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Mar. 2023
  • In the photo, Mayer plays a light purple guitar while Ben watches his dad's friend strum.
    — Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE.com, 7 Feb. 2022
  • The guitar strums, like the memories recalled, feel farther away.
    — Haben Kelati, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2023
  • And that ringing strum just might be the Big Bang of the Los Angeles recorded music industry.
    — Randall Roberts, Los Angeles Times, 12 Nov. 2020
  • For most Americans, this lush region conjures the strum of a banjo, the songs of Loretta Lynn and the gentle twang of a thick mountain accent.
    — Jessica Wapner, Newsweek, 19 July 2015
  • The second, a serene strum-fest accompanied by Meloy's sing-song musings.
    — Eder Campuzano, OregonLive.com, 16 Mar. 2018
  • The horizontal video uses the same footage as the vertical, in which Mendes strums and sings away as a pair of anonymous female hands get touchy-feely.
    — Abby Jones, Billboard, 11 June 2018
  • Her instrument is her voice, over simple guitar strums, and her message is a kind of screw-it-all abandon.
    — Raisa Bruner, Time, 6 Mar. 2020
  • Six-string strums, including from a Kurt Cobain sample, figure in other songs, too.
    — Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 14 June 2018
  • Pre-pandemic, the excitement came from recorders to play and ukuleles to strum and plastic buckets from Home Depot to bang on.
    — John Wilkens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Sep. 2020
  • Sounds: Suburban malaise set to alt-country strum, synth contrails.
    — Matt Wake | [email protected], al, 3 Aug. 2020
  • The AirPods Pro seamlessly reproduce every note, strum, hit or key press on a track.
    — Michael Andronico, CNN Underscored, 19 Mar. 2021
  • And because the musicians play so precisely onstage — each strum in place, each groove just right — the songs differed little from the versions permanently stored in your head.
    — Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2024
  • Worries escalated as this new cohort of generative AI tools threatened the livelihoods of people who write, draw, strum or code for a living.
    — Paul Wiseman, Fortune, 20 Dec. 2023
Advertisement

strum

2 of 2 verb
  • He strummed a tune on the guitar.
  • Learn chords on the ukulele and strum along to some favorite songs.
    — Mary Lou Cruz, sun-sentinel.com, 4 Oct. 2021
  • In the clip, Robert instructs his niece on where to place her tiny hands to strum the guitar.
    — Naledi Ushe, PEOPLE.com, 30 Sep. 2021
  • Come for the streetwear look, stay for the idea of Timmy strumming a guitar..
    — Meg Donohue, ELLE, 17 Feb. 2023
  • The town got its first place to hang out, sit with a laptop or strum a guitar.
    — Calvin Woodward, Anchorage Daily News, 1 Jan. 2022
  • To many, Kerr was like a rich guy strumming his ukulele in the back seat while his cat drives the limo down the freeway.
    — Scott Ostler, San Francisco Chronicle, 15 Feb. 2018
  • Then the drums kick in, the guitar-strumming starts and Meloy's detached voice brings it all in.
    — Eder Campuzano, OregonLive.com, 17 Jan. 2018
  • Bring your uke for an evening of strumming, singing and just having a good time.
    — cleveland, 11 Oct. 2019
  • Kevin Bacon played an acoustic version of the remix, and used an ear of corn to strum along to the catchy beat.
    — Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 6 Jan. 2023
  • De La Cruz is pretending to strum along to the pop song that’s playing over the speakers.
    — Charlie Goldsmith, The Enquirer, 6 June 2023
  • Duffy noted that his grandfather strums the guitar and sings to his wife of 63 years.
    — Pete Grathoff, kansascity, 20 Apr. 2018
  • The man can strum six strings and play the right chords at the right time (even if those chords are most often the classic C, G, A minor and F).
    — Joshua Medintz, The Enquirer, 10 July 2023
  • For years at parties, Naderi would pick up an acoustic guitar and strum a tune or two.
    — Matt Wake | [email protected], al, 21 July 2022
  • After storytime, a singer stepped in, picked up a ukulele and began to strum.
    — Dallas News, 19 Nov. 2022
  • Schneider sometimes hears her up in her room, singing and strumming her ukulele.
    — Scottie Andrew, CNN, 16 Apr. 2020
  • In the photo, Mayer strummed a purple guitar while Ben watched his dad's friend play.
    — Michael Lee Simpson, Peoplemag, 15 Aug. 2023
  • Two quickly strummed guitar chords rocked back and forth, as tight, peppy drums kept time.
    — David Obuchowski, Longreads, 30 July 2019
  • The 65-year-old actor strummed on his guitar while his daughter sat closer to the camera.
    — Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 19 Apr. 2024
  • Meanwhile, his left hand played the lower keys as if strumming a rhythm guitar.
    — WSJ, 14 Aug. 2018
  • In the video, 2-year-old Stormi is rocking it out on the drums while True and Chicago, both 2, strum purple and green guitars.
    — Georgia Slater, PEOPLE.com, 12 Sep. 2020
  • In the afternoons, Anderson said, kids stop by on their walk home from school, strum one of the many guitars and just hang out.
    — Saige Miller, The Salt Lake Tribune, 17 Feb. 2022
  • But joyless, the band, once able to swivel and wave and strum with ease, groaned hydraulically.
    — Christopher Borrelli, chicagotribune.com, 9 Feb. 2018
  • Shelton was content to pass the break idly strumming his guitar.
    — Nancy Kruh, PEOPLE.com, 14 Nov. 2019
  • Nearby, 70-year-old Israel Ortiz strums his guitar to dull the pain.
    — Gabe Gutierrez and Bianca Seward, NBC News, 21 Jan. 2018
  • As the title suggests, pizzicato plucking and outright strumming of the strings plays a large role in the work.
    — cleveland, 21 Oct. 2019
  • The jungle guides strumming guitars at a bar in the Sumatran village of Bukit Lawang know of just one peer who has seen a tiger in the wild.
    — The Economist, 22 Feb. 2018
  • With no phone to squander time on, Mallmann has ample hours on the island to watch movies and read books and paint and strum the guitar over in the corner.
    — João Canziani, Esquire, 22 Jan. 2018
  • Or strum on an electric guitar, play the drums or sing in a recording studio to make your own music.
    — Annie Nickoloff, cleveland, 14 July 2022
  • One man strummed on a guitar, while others sipped on IPAs and chatted about their favorite shows.
    — Sam Tabachnik, The Denver Post, 30 Aug. 2019
  • Loog Mini Guitar Your little rock star can learn to strum on this three-string guitar that’s perfectly sized for tiny hands.
    — Maya Polton, Parents, 24 Mar. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'strum.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: