tambourine

American  

[tam-buh-reen] / ˌtæm bəˈrin /

noun

• tambourines
  plural

1. a small drum consisting of a circular frame with a skin stretched over it and several pairs of metal jingles attached to the frame, played by striking with the knuckles, shaking, and the like.

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tambourine British  

/ ˌtæmbəˈriːn /

noun

1. music a percussion instrument consisting of a single drumhead of skin stretched over a circular wooden frame hung with pairs of metal discs that jingle when it is struck or shaken

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• tambourinist
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• tambourines
  plural

Etymology

Origin of tambourine

1570–80; earlier tamboryne < Middle Dutch tamborijn small drum < Middle French tambourin or Medieval Latin tamborīnum. See tambour, -ine ¹

Explanation

The tambourine is a portable percussion instrument that you shake or strike against your leg or palm. If you want to be in a band with your friends but you don't know how to play an instrument, you could try playing the tambourine. Tambourines are round and look like shallow drums (sometimes with an actual drumhead) with several pairs of metal disks that jingle against each other when you shake or tap the tambourine. The earliest meaning of tambourine was "small drum," from the diminutive of the French tambour, "drum."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tambourine tambourines

With two nuns on guitar, one with a tambourine and one on drums, a roomful of pilgrims started singing about West Virginia in a pileup of accents.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

Geri Halliwell's union jack flag platform boots are also among items featuring in the free exhibition at the Barbican Music Library, along with Liam Gallagher's tambourine and a Brit Award.

From BBC ● Apr. 16, 2026

Kostelnik took his place with the band, and got paid for playing the tambourine for the hourlong set.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2025

Vanessa Muros, an archaeology researcher at UCLA, showed up outside the encampment with finger symbols, maracas and a tambourine.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2024

One almost hits me, and when Father sees this he says, “Benvenida, don’t cry. Bring out your tambourine, and we’ll sing.”

From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar

But at this music class there are no bells or tambourines and no Wheels on the Bus or Baby Shark.

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2025

As dusk fell, some activists put on goggles and helmets, carried makeshift shields, jangled tambourines and beat drums as they prepared for another standoff with law enforcement.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2024

Anchored by the sound of organs, pianos, tambourines, drums and melodic voices preaching the word of God, gospel music is a fixture in Black Christian churches across the United States, especially in the South.

From New York Times ● Jan. 9, 2023

The entire percussion section was on top of this propulsive piece’s many tambourines, rattles and gongs, which culminate into an explosive finish.

From Washington Post ● Nov. 6, 2022

They came up from the water, visibly under the power of the Lord, and on the shore the saints awaited them, beating their tambourines.

From "Go Tell It on the Mountain" by James Baldwin