beatboxing

1 of 2

noun

beat·​box·​ing ˈbēt-ˌbäk-siŋ How to pronounce beatboxing (audio)
: a musical style and technique based on the vocal imitation of percussion sounds
They were both rhyming, and I was more into break-dancing and beatboxing.Busta Rhymes
Vox Audio is an … unaccompanied performance ensemble that uses tonal color, imitation of instrumental sounds, harmonic textures and beatboxing.Ed Balint

beatboxing

2 of 2

present participle of beatbox entry 2

Examples of beatboxing in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Mum’s Spaghetti Poppy aspires to become the world’s next great rapper alongside her beatboxing dog, Snoop. Beatrice Verhoeven, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Dec. 2023 Other clips show beatboxing being turned into a drum loop, singing becoming an orchestral score, or chords from a MIDI keyboard creating a vocal choir. Jon Porter, The Verge, 16 Nov. 2023 Tamar-kali’s score — which draws on beatboxing, body percussion, Hebrew worship music, and African American spirituals along with its operatic influences — feels busy and referential but also frequently monotonous, too full of reverence to find much lift or drive. Sara Holdren, Vulture, 8 Nov. 2023 Hip-hop icon and beatboxing pioneer Doug E. Fresh has teamed up with the McCormick® brand to release an original song and music video, marking the brand’s first bottle redesign in almost four decades and celebrating the 50 years of hip-hop. Shelby Stewart, Essence, 22 Aug. 2023 And Deadeye is a sweet beatboxing sort struggling with her insecurities who desperately holds on to anything resembling friendship. Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 6 July 2023 Dee, along with Darren Robinson (the Human Beatbox) and Damon Wimbley (Kool Rock Ski) were launched after winning a talent contest in 1983, and spent the better part of the next decade turning their beatboxing and good-natured lyrical antics into Platinum albums and other entertainment fare. David Z. Morris, Fortune, 19 Feb. 2021 The New York beatboxing pioneer is set to join the Motown Museum’s board of trustees. Brian McCollum, Detroit Free Press, 16 Mar. 2023 Sabrina Wu opened their Tonight Show stand-up set with some very fun impersonations and even some beatboxing. Vulture, 7 Oct. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'beatboxing.' 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

Noun

1985, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of beatboxing was in 1985

Dictionary Entries Near beatboxing

Cite this Entry

“Beatboxing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beatboxing. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.

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