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

As darkness fell, Price, sometimes with a guitar and sometimes a tambourine and sometimes just the mic, served as a fun bridge between the rootsy afternoon sound and the both increasingly folksy Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Dave Matthews (and Tim Reynolds) and John Mellencamp. —Jared Kaufman, Twin Cities, 21 Sep. 2025

Carol is a skilled tambourine player. —Liza Esquibias, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2025

The seven-minute song climaxed with a firework show above MetLife Stadium as Liam stood still, balancing a tambourine on his head. —Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 1 Sep. 2025

The production warps choirs and tambourines into his own sort of gospel. —Mankaprr Conteh, Rolling Stone, 8 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle French tambourin, diminutive of tambour

First Known Use

1579, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for tambourine

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

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