drum up

try hard to get support, interest, or business

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What does "drum sth up" mean?

To drum up something means to actively and deliberately generate it through concentrated effort — most commonly support, interest, business, or enthusiasm. The phrase implies that the desired response won't come on its own; someone has to work for it, often with energy and persistence. It is most at home in contexts involving campaigns, marketing, or any situation where a person or organisation is trying to attract attention or backing. The metaphor comes from beating a drum to draw a crowd or recruit soldiers, which gives the phrase a sense of purposeful, energetic action. It sits comfortably in both spoken English and written contexts such as journalism and business, though it would feel out of place in formal academic prose.

Examples

How to use it

drum up + abstract noun

The most common pattern — the object follows the particle and must be an abstract noun representing collective interest, backing, or commercial activity.

The charity spent the whole month trying to drum up donations for the new centre.

try to / manage to / attempt to + drum up + object

These modal and semi-modal constructions appear very frequently with 'drum up', reinforcing the idea that the effort is deliberate and not always guaranteed to succeed.

They tried hard to drum up enthusiasm for the initiative, but the response was lukewarm.

drum + pronoun + up

When replacing the object with a pronoun, it moves between the verb and the particle — though this is less common in practice because the objects are usually abstract and rarely pronominised without clear prior context.

We knew we needed more investor interest, and we spent weeks trying to drum it up.

be drumming up + object

The present continuous is natural when describing an ongoing campaign or promotional effort happening right now or around the current moment.

The new marketing team is drumming up publicity ahead of the product launch.

drum up + object + for + noun phrase

Adding a 'for' phrase specifies the cause, event, or organisation that the effort is directed towards.

He toured the country drumming up support for the reform bill.

Common Collocations

drum up supportdrum up businessdrum up interestdrum up enthusiasmdrum up publicitydrum up votes

Common Mistakes

Using the passive form

Because 'drum up' implies active effort by a specific agent, passive constructions sound very unnatural. Always use it with an active subject doing the drumming up.

✗ Enough support was drummed up to pass the motion.
✓ They managed to drum up enough support to pass the motion.
Confusing 'drum up' with 'stir up'

'Stir up' typically implies provoking negative emotions or causing trouble, while 'drum up' is always about generating something positive or constructive — like support or interest — through deliberate effort.

✗ The protest leader drummed up anger among the crowd.
✓ The protest leader stirred up anger among the crowd. / The campaign leader drummed up support among the crowd.
Using a concrete noun as the object

'Drum up' only collocates naturally with abstract nouns like support, interest, business, or enthusiasm. Using a concrete or physical noun as the object sounds wrong — that territory belongs to 'rustle up'.

✗ She drummed up a quick meal for the visitors.
✓ She drummed up interest in the new project. / She rustled up a quick meal for the visitors.

Usage

This phrasal verb is neutral in register and works well in both spoken and written English, including journalism and business contexts. It always takes an object and implies that real effort is needed to generate the result.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can 'drum up' be used without an object?

No — 'drum up' always needs an object and cannot be used intransitively. You always have to specify what is being generated, such as support, interest, or business. A sentence like 'We're trying to drum up' with no object is incomplete.

What kinds of things can you 'drum up'? Are there restrictions?

Yes — 'drum up' almost exclusively collocates with abstract nouns representing collective interest, backing, or commercial activity: support, enthusiasm, business, trade, publicity, votes, donations, investment, and so on. It does not work with concrete or physical objects. If you want to say someone obtained something practical or tangible quickly, 'rustle up' is the right choice.

Does 'drum up' suggest that the effort was successful?

Not necessarily. The phrase describes the attempt and the effort, not the outcome. You can 'try to drum up support' and fail, or 'manage to drum up enough interest' and succeed. The result depends on the wider context of the sentence.

Can I use 'drum up' in the present perfect continuous — for example, 'We have been drumming up support'?

This is technically possible but can sound a little forced in practice. The simple present perfect ('We have drummed up significant support') or the present continuous ('We are drumming up support') tend to sound more natural. The present perfect continuous is better avoided unless the ongoing duration of the effort is the main point.

Is there a difference between 'drum up' and 'build up' when talking about generating interest or support?

'Build up' suggests a gradual process of accumulation over a longer period of time, whereas 'drum up' emphasises short-term, concentrated, and energetic effort to generate something quickly. If a campaign runs for years and slowly gains followers, 'build up' fits better; if a team makes an intensive push before a deadline, 'drum up' is more natural.

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