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

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

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

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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