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Glite Dictionary
to drum out

to drum out

7 7.4
Make someone leave a group or job in a public, shameful way
  • phrasal verb
  • /drʌm aʊt/
translation icon : expulsar
  • Any company that got caught doing that would be drummed out of the Commission, humiliated across the world.
  • get drummed out
  • drummed out of office
  • drummed out of the service

He was eventually drummed out because he became obsessed with moles.

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Examples

  • So he got drummed out of the Army and he was forced to retire and that was that.

    Lex Fridman

  • A politician who would say he was a Nazi sympathizer, or that the Holocaust didn't exist, would be drummed out of any political party.

    Academic text (2007)

  • I should be drummed out of the company.

    Please Don't Eat the Daisies (1960)

  • You may get drummed out of your big law job.

    Blog text (5)

  • 'Look, they drummed you right out of Hollywood.'

    Isn't She Great (2000)

  • Reminds me of when I was drummed out of the army.

    Irma la Douce (1963)

  • Any Republican who suggested that for this election would have been drummed out of the convention.

    Blog text (32)

  • You ought to be drummed out of the service for that remark.

    The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936)

  • Whoever designed this trial should be drummed out of academia.

    Blog text (25)

  • After his controversial remarks, he was publicly drummed out of the organization.

Synonyms

to kick out
vsto drum out
512 3.0

Force someone to leave a place or group

focuses more on public shame or formal disgrace than mere force
to throw out
vsto drum out
236 3.0

To force someone to leave a place, job, or group

adds a public and disgraceful aspect to the basic removal
to expel
vsto drum out
194 5.0

Force someone to leave a place, such as a school or country, often by official order

is similar but highlights public humiliation rather than just official action
to oust
vsto drum out
80 6.2

To remove someone from power, often suddenly or by force

shares forceful removal but stresses public disgrace more broadly
to force out
vsto drum out
46 4.4

To make someone leave a job by pressure or threats

is like this but usually includes public shaming or disgrace
to cast out
vsto drum out
31 6.2

Force someone to leave a group or place because others reject them

is similarly rejecting but more focused on public disgrace
to boot out
vsto drum out
  • Informal
15 5.8

Force someone to leave a job or organization suddenly

implies public humiliation in addition to the abrupt expulsion
to send packing
vsto drum out
  • Informal
8 6.5

To make someone leave quickly to show they are not wanted

adds public shaming or disgrace to the sudden removal
to send someone packing
vsto drum out
  • Informal
4 7.9

Make someone leave quickly and forcefully

is similar but stresses public disgrace rather than just abruptness
to kick-out
vsto drum out
1 4.0

To force someone to leave a place, group or job

adds an element of public disgrace or shaming to the removal
to turf out
vsto drum out
  • UK
1 8.2

Force someone to leave a place or job

carries extra sense of public disgrace or official rejection
to sack someone
vsto drum out
  • UK
4.8

To stop employing someone, often suddenly as punishment

is broader, stressing public disgrace beyond job punishment

Antonyms

to accept
793 1.0

To take something someone offers, for example a gift or invitation

to welcome
583 1.0

Greet someone in a friendly way when they arrive

Surface Forms

drum out infinitive
drummed out past
drummed out past participle
drumming out present participle
drums out third person singular

Morphology

drum + out

Although the particle 'out' suggests exclusion, the verb 'drum' (to beat a rhythm) does not transparently convey the action of expelling someone; 'drum out' is an idiomatic/historical expression (originally military) meaning to eject or disgrace someone. The combined meaning 'force someone to leave publicly' is not predictable from the literal senses of the parts, so a B1 learner who knows the words would likely not derive the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Drum out comes from old army practice. When a soldier was forced to leave in shame they were marched out to the beat of a drum, a public show that everyone could see. So, drum out now means 'to force someone to leave a group, often publicly and with disgrace'.