tambourine

American  

[tam-buh-reen] / ˌtæm bəˈrin /

noun

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

• tambourinist
  noun

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

One month after Dylan released Mr Tambourine Man, the Byrds' version came out.

From BBC • Jan. 19, 2025

In 2016, it purchased the original tambourine of Bruce Langhorne, who inspired Dylan’s song “Mr. Tambourine Man.”

From New York Times • May 5, 2022

Myers may be scary, but he can’t compare to the horror of hearing Shatner “sing” “Mr. Tambourine Man.”

From Slate • Oct. 22, 2021

Its tracks included “Mr. Tambourine Man,” “Subterranean Homesick Blues” and “Maggie’s Farm.”

From Seattle Times • Mar. 15, 2021

Gavotte, Tambourine, and Minuet from "Castor and Pollux."

From Annals of Music in America A Chronological Record of Significant Musical Events by Lahee, Henry Charles