cymbal

American  

[sim-buhl] / ˈsɪm bəl /

noun

• cymbals
  plural

1. a concave plate of brass or bronze that produces a sharp, ringing sound when struck: played either in pairs, by being struck together, or singly, by being struck with a drumstick or the like.

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cymbal British  

/ ˈsɪmbəl /

noun

1. a percussion instrument of indefinite pitch consisting of a thin circular piece of brass, which vibrates when clashed together with another cymbal or struck with a stick

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cymbal Cultural  

1. A large, round metal plate used as a percussion instrument. Cymbals can be crashed together in pairs or struck singly with a drumstick, and they are used in dance bands, jazz bands, and orchestras.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• cymbaleer
  noun
• cymbaler
  noun
• cymbalist
  noun
• cymbal-like
  adjective
• cymballike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• cymbals
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of cymbal

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English cymbal, cymbala, from Old French cymbale, cymble , and from Medieval Latin cymbalum, from Latin, from Greek kýmbalon, derivative of kýmbos, kýmbē “hollow vessel, cup”

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Explanation

Crash! Clang! Those are the sounds made by a cymbal — a loud percussion instrument that is part of most drum kits. One of the most fun parts of being a drummer has to be hitting the cymbals, a crashing, clanging instrument that, as you may have guessed, is very loud. A cymbal is a concave, almost flat, circular piece of brass. Drummers hit the cymbal with a drumstick or bang two cymbals together. If you love peace and quiet, stay away from cymbals — and drummers!

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cymbal cymbals

"We use copper and tin and one more ingredient which is secret. Even though it's in very small quantities, it gives the cymbal a different character in terms of consistency and sound," he told AFP.

From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026

Then it happened — somewhere between a cymbal crash and a guitar wail.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 23, 2025

His press rolls and cymbal crashes urge on Mr. Harrison’s expanding circles of improvisation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 15, 2025

The soldier wears a fur pelisse and holds a cymbal, which meant he was very likely to have belonged to a cavalry regiment, Ms Lavelle said.

From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2025

So I tried to play along with the ding ding- a-ding ride cymbal thing that always works for jazz and immediately got the beat all turned around and messed up.

From "Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie" by Jordan Sonnenblick

But they can’t see what I remember when I hold it: cymbals timed correctly during the performance, a gratified nod from the conductor after weeks of botching it in rehearsal.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026

She covered the song in 1975, choosing to cut the third verse and dial up the drama with meaty piano chords, slugging drums and a flourish of cymbals.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026

Today, Istanbul remains the centre of excellence for cymbals, where a handful of brands still produce hand-hammered bronze using techniques developed more than 400 years ago.

From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026

Yet, Fire Island as a concept produces nothing more than a toy monkey clanging its cymbals in my brain.

From Salon ● Jun. 18, 2026

“Were the cymbals to wake you up when you got too boring?”

From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman

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