tambourine

noun

tam·​bou·​rine ˌtam-bə-ˈrēn 

: a small drum

especially : a shallow one-headed drum with loose metallic disks at the sides played especially by shaking or striking with the hand

Illustration of tambourine

Examples of tambourine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The diamond grid of the shutters serves as the frame, splitting the photo itself into parts, while tiny cymbals have been placed underneath the wood, turning the work into a massive tambourine. — Douglas Markowitz, Miami Herald, 23 June 2026

Eve Get your tambourines ready because Ruff Ryders ‘ First Lady has arrived. — Malik Davis, VIBE.com, 17 June 2026

Marie Watt and Nick Cave’s scintillating bead-and-tin-jingle tapestry seems to dance along a lobby wall; Lava Thomas’s hot-pink tambourines dangle from the ceiling. — Kelsey Ables, The Atlantic, 9 June 2026

Studio engineers often added percussion accents like shakers or tambourines, or handclaps layered on the snares, using a combination of texture and mathematical precision to keep heads and hips moving. — Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 7 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle French tambourin, diminutive of tambour

First Known Use

1579, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for tambourine

• acridine
• acrolein
• adenine
• alkylene
• aniline
• anthracene
• aquiline
• asphaltene
• atlantean
• atrazine
• butadiene
• butylene

Kids Definition

tambourine

noun

tam·​bou·​rine ˌtam-bə-ˈrēn 

: a shallow drum with one head and loose metal disks at the sides that is played by shaking or striking with the hand