percussionist

noun

per·​cus·​sion·​ist pər-ˈkə-sh(ə-)nist 

: one skilled in the playing of percussion instruments

Examples of percussionist in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Hiding behind a friend carrying a guitar, Goodman settled in behind percussionist Juma Sultan and was assumed to be a member of the sprawling film crew that had surrounded the entire event. — Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 18 Aug. 2026

John Douglas — a longtime tech member, percussionist and drummer — replaced Beard in the interim, having done so previously when the veteran drummer underwent an emergency appendectomy in 2002. — Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2026

Little Feat percussionist Sam Clayton, a Fallbrook resident, recalled in a 2019 San Diego Union-Tribune interview. — George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Aug. 2026

And, of course, Buffett himself arrives, accompanied by his longtime percussionist Eric Darken on the marimba and a bar full of cheering friends, to reprise the chorus in a voice that is more talky and less twangy than Jackson’s. — Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 19 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1938, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

percussionist

noun

per·​cus·​sion·​ist pər-ˈkəsh-(ə-)nəst 

: a person who plays percussion instruments