Definition

Verb: - To actively and energetically seek to obtain, create, or generate something, typically support, interest, or business. It implies making a concerted effort to attract attention or gather something through promotion or solicitation.

Usage

The verb "drum up" is used to describe the act of trying to create or increase something, often from a limited or nonexistent starting point. It is commonly followed by a direct object indicating what is being sought, such as "support," "business," "interest," or "enthusiasm."

Examples

• The candidate is traveling across the state to drum up votes before the election.
• We need to drum up more interest in the community fundraiser.
• The marketing team launched a new campaign to drum up sales for the product.

Advanced Usage

• "to drum up support for a cause": This is a very common collocation, meaning to actively seek and gather backing or endorsement for a specific idea or project.
  • Activists worked hard to drum up support for the new environmental policy.
• The phrase can sometimes carry a slight connotation of creating something artificially or through vigorous effort, rather than it arising spontaneously.

Variants and Related Words

• Drum (verb): While "drum" alone can mean to play a drum, in a figurative business context, it can also mean to promote or reiterate something persistently, as in "to drum an idea into someone's head." This is related to the persistent, rhythmic effort implied in "drum up."

Synonyms

• Generate: To cause something to arise or come about.
• Solicit: To ask for or try to obtain something from someone.
• Muster: To assemble or gather something, especially a quality or feeling like support or courage.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Beat up: While primarily meaning to assault physically, in informal business contexts, "beat up" can sometimes be used similarly to mean to aggressively seek or obtain, though this is much less common and more informal than "drum up."
  • He tried to beat up some new leads for the sales team.

Related Idioms

• Beat the drum for (someone/something): To speak enthusiastically in support of a person or cause; to promote actively. This idiom is closely related to "drum up" and shares the metaphor of attracting attention.
  • The mayor is beating the drum for downtown redevelopment.

Verb

1. gather
   • drum up support