tom-tom

IPA/ˈtɒm tɒm/
IPA/ˈtɑːm tɑːm/

tom-tom — noun

1. a slender drum with compact heads, often struck by hand in traditional music.

1.nounB2
Definition

a slender drum with compact heads, often struck by hand in traditional music.

Example

The dancers followed the deep sound of a tom-tom at the festival.

sound of a tom-tom

In the music class, each student learned how to beat a tom-tom with open palms.

beat a tom-tom with open palms

Common collocations
  • play a tom-tom
  • beat a tom-tom
  • tom-tom rhythm
  • sound of tom-toms
Synonyms
  • hand drum

    a broader phrase for drums played with the hands

  • drum

    the general word for the instrument family

  • percussion instrument

    a much broader category, including drums, cymbals, and other instruments

Grammar Patterns

play a tom-tom

beat a tom-tom with your hands

the sound of tom-toms

Usage Note

This sense is usually about a hand-played drum in traditional, folk, or ceremonial music. It is not the same as a gong, and it does not usually mean a whole drum kit.

Common Mistakes

Do not use tom-tom for every kind of drum. In a rock band, tom-tom usually means one drum in the drum kit, not a hand drum.

2. a medium-sized drum in a drum kit, usually hit with sticks.

2.nounB2
Definition

a medium-sized drum in a drum kit, usually hit with sticks.

Example

The drummer hit the tom-tom twice before moving back to the snare.

hit the tom-tom

Before the concert, the technician tuned each tom-tom on the drum kit.

tom-tom on the drum kit

Common collocations
  • hit the tom-tom
  • tune the tom-tom
  • floor tom-tom
  • tom-tom on a drum kit
Synonyms
  • tom

    the usual short form among drummers

  • drum

    the broader word, less exact than tom-tom in a drum-kit context

Grammar Patterns

a tom-tom on a drum kit

hit the tom-tom with sticks

tune the tom-toms

Usage Note

Drummers often shorten this to tom. In this sense, the drum is part of a drum kit and is normally played with sticks.

Common Mistakes

A tom-tom in a drum kit is the drum itself. The sticks used to play it are drumsticks.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

Tom-tom and tom can refer to the same kind of drum in a drum kit, but tom is the shorter term musicians often use. A snare drum has wires that give it a sharp rattling sound, while a bass drum is much larger and gives a lower thump. In traditional-music contexts, tom-tom can also mean a hand-played drum, so the surrounding words usually tell you which sense is meant.

tom-tom ↗tom ↗snare drumbass drum

Common collocations

Nouns

  • tom-tom rhythm
  • tom-tom sound

Phrases

  • play a tom-tom
  • hit the tom-tom
  • tom-tom on a drum kit

Etymology

First known use

1693

1693, in the meaning defined at sense 1