To strum means to play a stringed instrument like a guitar or ukulele by brushing your fingers or a pick across the strings in a smooth, rhythmic motion. Instead of plucking one string at a time, you sweep across several strings at once, creating a full, ringing sound.

When a guitarist strums a chord, their hand moves down (or up) across the strings, making them vibrate together. Picture someone sitting around a campfire with a guitar, strumming along to a song while everyone sings. The steady strumming pattern creates the rhythm and feel of the music.

You can strum quickly for upbeat, energetic songs or slowly for gentle, peaceful ones. Different strumming patterns (like down-down-up-down-up) give songs their distinctive sounds. Many beginning guitar players start by learning basic strumming techniques before moving on to more complicated picking patterns.

The word can also describe making a similar motion on other things, like strumming your fingers on a desk when you're thinking or waiting. But it most commonly refers to that satisfying sound of fingers or a pick sweeping across guitar strings.