march to the beat of one's own drum

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 the beat of one's own drum (third-person singular simple present marches to the beat of one's own drum, present participle marching to the beat of one's own drum, simple past and past participle marched to the beat of one's own drum)

present singular third person marches to the beat of one's own drum · participle present marching to the beat of one's own drum · participle past marched to the beat of one's own drum · past marched to the beat of one's own drum

  1. alternativeAlternative form of march to the beat of a different drum.
Cite this entry
APA

march to the beat of one's own drum. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/march%20to%20the%20beat%20of%20one's%20own%20drum

MLA

“march to the beat of one's own drum.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/march%20to%20the%20beat%20of%20one's%20own%20drum. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “march to the beat of one's own drum,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/march%20to%20the%20beat%20of%20one's%20own%20drum.

Source: march to the beat of one's own drum on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.