Definition of cymbal
: a concave metal plate (as of brass or bronze) that produces a brilliant clashing tone and that is struck with a drumstick or is used in pairs struck glancingly together
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Recent Examples of cymbal from the Web
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Meanwhile, jellyfish float, bubbles rise, Picasso and Klee turn up, fireworks explode, drums beat and cymbals sound. As if suddenly, nine minutes have passed.
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At the Back Bay’s B3 restaurant and performance space, where Berklee students provide live music, customers ask about the chandeliers made from Norwell’s Zildjian cymbals, crafted by Taunton’s ILEX.
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Sound at certain frequencies just vanishes—birdsong, intelligible human speech, the gentle rustling of leaves, the crispy highs of brushes on jazz cymbals.
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The dance is performed in a lion costume and is accompanied by the music of beating drums, clashing cymbals and gongs.
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The album mixed folk, rock and blues amid unique instruments such as autoharp and finger cymbals.
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Elsewhere in the ashram, Toland painted a pair of cymbals clicking in the fingers of a blind musician, a woman’s hands folded in prayer, a wandering cow with spare, bony limbs.
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Just Blaze deep cut: blaring horns, crashing cymbals, a quivering vocal sample and a smattering of drums so potent that Game simply had to arrive and not mess anything up.
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Michael Culligan, associate principal precussionist for CSO, plays several instruments for the orchestra: bass drums, snare drums, cymbals, tambourines, the glockenspiel and the xylophone.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cymbal.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of cymbal
Middle English, from Old English cymbal & Anglo-French cymbele, from Latin cymbalum, from Greek kymbalon, from kymbē bowl, boat
NEW! Time Traveler
First Known Use: before 12th century
in the meaning defined above
See Words from the same yearCYMBAL Defined for English Language Learners
Definition of cymbal for English Language Learners
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: a musical instrument in the form of a slightly curved thin metal plate that is played by hitting it with a drumstick or with another cymbal and that makes a very loud metallic sound
CYMBAL Defined for Kids
Definition of cymbal for Students
: a musical instrument in the form of a brass plate that is struck with a drumstick or is used in pairs struck together
Learn More about cymbal
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See words that rhyme with cymbal Spanish Central: Translation of cymbal Nglish: Translation of cymbal for Spanish speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about cymbal
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