percussionist
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of percussionist
First recorded in 1810–20; percussion + -ist
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.
See Examples For:
And in February 1951, three of his leading musicians—saxman Johnny Hodges, trombonist Lawrence Brown and percussionist Sonny Greer—departed, with a combined 70 years of service.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 16, 2026
Prior to them, jazz percussionist Chuck Redd called off a Christmas Eve gig he had hosted annually since 2006 at the centre over the name change.
From BBC ● Jan. 4, 2026
I started as a percussionist when I was very young.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 5, 2025
On “Sound Machine,” a track from the new album “Aloud” from poet Raymond Antrobus and percussionist Evelyn Glennie, Antrobus recalls his fear as a child when he knocked over his dad’s stereo.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2025
She's the percussionist and gets to crash the cymbals and play the thundery kettle drums, which sounds an ace laugh.
From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell
Those bearing the structures often gyrate to the beat provided by percussionists alongside religious chants and devotional folk songs.
From Barron's ● Feb. 1, 2026
For more than 25 years, its lineup has been stable: drummer and producer John McEntire, percussionists John Herndon and Dan Bitney, bassist Doug McCombs and guitarist Jeff Parker.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2025
It was a night of enchantment, and by the end of Revueltas’ “Noche de Encantamiento,” with a dozen percussionists in high gear, the crowd, like the drummers, went wild.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2025
Among their collaborations was Magalenha - a joyous song powered by the energetic sounds of Bahian percussionists from the streets of Rio - that quickly became a Latin standard.
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2024
It may also include a piano and/or other keyboard players, more percussionists, and one or more guitar players or other strummed or plucked strings.
From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones
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.
