Synonyms

percuss

American

[per-kuhs] / pərˈkʌs /

verb (used with object)

Medicine/Medical. to strike or tap for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes.
to strike (something) so as to shake or cause a shock to.

verb (used without object)

Medicine/Medical. to strike the surface of a part of the body for diagnostic purposes.

percuss British

/ pəˈkʌs /

verb

to strike sharply, rapidly, or suddenly
med to tap on (a body surface) with the fingertips or a special hammer to aid diagnosis or for therapeutic purposes

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

percussor noun
unpercussed adjective

Etymology

Origin of percuss

1550–60; < Latin percussus, past participle of percutere to strike hard, beat, equivalent to per- per- + -cut ( ere ), combining form of quatere to shake ( see quash) + -tus past participle suffix, with tt > ss

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.

You may knock," said he, when I began to percuss his chest, "but I am —— sure there's no one at home.

From The Stark Munro Letters by Doyle, Arthur Conan, Sir

Some find it easier to percuss the dullness due to the heart in this way than by mediate percussion.

From Arteriosclerosis and Hypertension: with Chapters on Blood Pressure, 3rd Edition. by Warfield, Louis Marshall

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023