IPA: /ˈdrʌmˌfaɪər/
KK: /drʌmˌfaɪər/
A heavy and continuous sound of gunfire or something that resembles such a sound, often used to describe a barrage of criticism or intense activity.
The soldiers were met with a drumfire of bullets as they advanced.
Drumfire is formed from "drum" (from Middle English "drom", meaning a percussion instrument) and "fire" (from Old English "fyr", meaning fire or flame). The term originally referred to a rapid, continuous firing of artillery, likening the sound to that of a drum being played continuously.
Imagine the sound of a drum beating rapidly, like the continuous 'fire' of artillery — that's how 'drumfire' connects the rhythm of a drum to the intensity of gunfire.