percussion

American  

[per-kuhsh-uhn] / pərˈkʌʃ ən /

noun

percussions plural

1. the striking of one body against another with some sharpness; impact; blow.

2. Medicine/Medical. the striking or tapping of the surface of a part of the body for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes.

3. the striking of a musical instrument to produce tones.

4. Music.

   1. the section of an orchestra or band comprising the percussion instruments.

   2. the percussion instruments themselves.

5. a sharp blow for detonating a percussion cap or the fuze of an artillery shell.

6. the striking of sound on the ear.

7. the act of percussing.

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percussion British  

/ pəˈkʌʃən /

noun

1. the act, an instance, or an effect of percussing

2. music the family of instruments in which sound arises from the striking of materials with sticks, hammers, or the hands

3. music

   1. instruments of this family constituting a section of an orchestra, band, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      a percussion ensemble

4. med the act of percussing a body surface

5. the act of exploding a percussion cap

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percussion Cultural  

1. A family of musical instruments played by striking their surfaces. Percussion instruments are used to accentuate and dramatize certain notes or rhythms and include instruments such as cymbals, drums, triangles, and xylophones. (See kettledrum, snare drum, and orchestra.)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• percussional
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• percussions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of percussion

1535–45; < Latin percussiōn- (stem of percussiō ) a beating. See percuss, -ion

Explanation

Percussion is music involving drums and other instruments such as gongs, bells, cymbals, rattles, and tambourines. The instruments themselves are also called percussion. How do percussion instruments differ from guitars, horns, and pianos? They are struck to produce loudness, while the other instruments are strummed or blown into, or have keys that are depressed to produce notes. Percussion comes from the Latin word percussionem, which means "a striking, a blow." And those who think percussion evolved with modern jazz and rock and roll will be surprised to learn the word was first used in 1776 to describe musical instruments.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

percussion percussions

Having already picked up percussion, she was eventually able to sit in and play with them alongside her father and uncles.

From Salon ● Jun. 18, 2026

It switches between a ghostly, vaporous beat and a hectic middle passage filled with sampled and pitched-up voices and clattering percussion.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2026

The producer grew up playing mostly play bass, with his other siblings on guitar and percussion, and his father on keys.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2026

Barclay's hour-long spoken word performance draws on his upbringing in Huddersfield and his experience of the industrial landscape of northern England, against a soundtrack of live percussion and horn.

From BBC ● Apr. 23, 2026

There was a leather pad called “the beat” that you’d strap to your palm, like a percussion instrument.

From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah

Whereas on tracks like “Dime” and “Flores,” there are distinct orchestral peaks, in which subtle percussions give way to grander, more cathartic releases.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 2, 2025

Jeremiah Green’s buoyant percussions — that frequently lift and propel Modest Mouse songs in unorthodox ways — bounced the sold-out crowd like a tattered basketball on the Showbox’s famously springy floor.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 1, 2023

After the meeting, I just went to a studio and started recording for three weeks, and it’s all these jams, all these percussions and flutes.

From Slate ● Aug. 30, 2021

This is a true story, too, so after I gave him the trumpet back, the mouthpiece, all that, I never made it to the drums or the percussions.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 16, 2020

And the cymbal of the saint, which from his frequent percussions thereof appeared in one part broken, was afterward repaired by an angel's hand; and the mark is beheld on it at this day.

From The Most Ancient Lives of Saint Patrick Including the Life by Jocelin, Hitherto Unpublished in America, and His Extant Writings by O'Leary, James