hi-hat
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of hi-hat
First recorded in 1925–30
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
On “Situation,” the hissing hi-hat hinted at on earlier tracks becomes explicit and the rhythm is officially disco, though with a twangy urban cowboy version of the beat.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 17, 2026
Using a nickel as a kick drum, a pen as a hi-hat, Suga Free floats like he had never experienced gravity.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2023
“For my third birthday, I asked for a hi-hat cymbal and a conductor’s baton,” Finneas said.
From New York Times ● Oct. 15, 2021
When she left to pursue a degree, Hannah Billie stepped in, using the hi-hat cymbal – and the song just came alive.
From The Guardian ● Jul. 15, 2019
“Spike, give me a hand with the hi-hat, please.”
From "Sparrow" by Sarah Moon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
