high-hat

1 of 2

adjective

high-hat transitive verb

high hat

2 of 2

noun

1
2
or hi-hat : a pair of cymbals operated by a foot pedal

Examples of high-hat in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
As the drummer counted in on his high-hat my mind went blank: not just on how to play the song, but how to play guitar, how to stay standing, how to blink, breathe, and stay conscious. Chris Fleming, SPIN, 4 Apr. 2023
Noun
Going high hat just did not fit, and on Sept. 9, 1927, the Bernheimer flags came down. Jacques Kelly, Baltimore Sun, 4 June 2022 It’s one of those ABBA songs that fools you with its mirror ball synths, a classic disco rhythm on the high hat and lush harmonizing. Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY, 6 Nov. 2021 Indeed, at Thursday’s show in Charlotte, Jordan integrated Watts’ signature swing – and his unusual way of playing by not hitting the high hat and snare simultaneously – with his own muscular approach. Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY, 1 Oct. 2021 Deja stifled a yawn and cranked up her music; the warring bass and high hat thrummed in her chest and kept her mostly awake. Brittany N. Williams, NOLA.com, 26 Oct. 2020 The song -- a frenetic trap banger built from buzzy synths and high hat -- debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100 on March 2, 2013, the same week Billboard started factoring YouTube streaming data into the chart's methodology. Katie Bain, Billboard, 21 Nov. 2019 Here comes one now, rattling catastrophically, like Max Roach whaling on the high hat. Alexandra Schwartz, The New Yorker, 18 Nov. 2019 The disco-pop track is about as close as Mitski has come to mainstream radio fare, with its bubbly beat, toe-tap-ready high hat and her sweet croon recalling another era. Raisa Bruner, Time, 29 June 2018 The bouncy instrumental, produced by Kato on the Track, features Wright showcasing a more staccato flow over a high hats and quick synths. Mackenzie Cummings-Grady, Billboard, 6 June 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'high-hat.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1924, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1885, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of high-hat was in 1885

Dictionary Entries Near high-hat

Cite this Entry

“High-hat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/high-hat. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

high-hat

1 of 2 adjective
-ˈhat
: behaving like a snob

high-hat

2 of 2 verb
high-hatted; high-hatting
: to treat in a snobbish manner
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