percussionist

noun

per·​cus·​sion·​ist pər-ˈkə-sh(ə-)nist How to pronounce percussionist (audio)
Synonyms of percussionistnext
: one skilled in the playing of percussion instruments

Examples of percussionist in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Several people in creative fields also applied, including actors, creative directors, a percussionist and a sports videographer. — Charlotte Observer, 11 June 2026 Chinese percussionist Xu Yang told his social media followers the form and style of the drums used on the Great Wall appeared more like a Japanese Taiko performance. — Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 17 June 2026 Juan-Carlos Chaurand, percussionist for Making Movies and Sin Tope, said soccer has been part of his family’s story for generations. — J.m. Banks june 12, Kansas City Star, 12 June 2026 Ferrall’s death was reported yesterday by her husband, the Broadway drummer and percussionist Kory Grossman, to the theater publication Playbill. — Greg Evans, Deadline, 10 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for percussionist

Word History

First Known Use

1938, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of percussionist was in 1938

Browse Nearby Words

percussion instrument
percussionist
percussion lock
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Percussionist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/percussionist. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

percussionist

noun
per·​cus·​sion·​ist pər-ˈkəsh-(ə-)nəst How to pronounce percussionist (audio)
: a person who plays percussion instruments

More from Merriam-Webster on percussionist

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for percussionist

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All