march to a different drummer

A form of march to the beat of a different drum — To do things in one's own way regardless of societal norms and conventional expectations.

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Meanings

verbmarch to a different drummer (third-person singular simple present marches to a different drummer, present participle marching to a different drummer, simple past and past participle marched to a different drummer)

present singular third person marches to a different drummer · participle present marching to a different drummer · participle past marched to a different drummer · past marched to a different drummer

  1. alternativeAlternative form of march to the beat of a different drum.
    1 more example

    Some say history repeats itself, that time is cyclical. Others cling to the notion of progress and change over time . Apparently Nancy Walker marches to a different drummer — marches backwards, hat is. Her ideas on art and society seem quaint and odd on the one hand and, on the other, petty and regressive.

    1981 December 27, Wade Nichols, “Victorian Imperialism”, in Gay Community News, volume 9, number 23, page 5
Cite this entry
APA

march to a different drummer. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/march%20to%20a%20different%20drummer

MLA

“march to a different drummer.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/march%20to%20a%20different%20drummer. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “march to a different drummer,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/march%20to%20a%20different%20drummer.

Source: march to a different drummer on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.