beatbox

or beat-box

[ beet-boks ]

noun

1. drum machine.
2. Slang. boom box.

verb (used without object)

1. to simulate the sounds and rhythms of percussion instruments or a drum machine by using the mouth and voice:

   Have you ever heard someone beatbox like that?

beatbox

/ ˈbiːtˌbɒks /

noun

1. informal.
   a drum machine

Other Words From

• beatboxer noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of beatbox¹

An Americanism dating back to 1975–80; beat + box ¹

Example Sentences

“And they use parts of the body” — feet, the mouth — “that you might consider limited or niche. You could argue that tap dance has tonal limitations, and you could say the same about beatbox. But there’s no limit to how they excite our imaginations.”

From New York Times

I don’t mean just the rap and beatbox interludes punctuating the familiar story of a love triangle among a kept woman, a himbo soldier and a disfigured poet — who, as performed by James McAvoy, was disfigured only in his imagination.

From New York Times

In Jamie Lloyd's production an ethnically diverse cast conversed in the style of a poetry slam or rap battle with a live beatbox soundtrack.

From BBC

The words added in 2014 included geocache, chillax, beatbox, frenemy, hashtag, joypad, mojito, selfie, soju, texter, vodcast, vlog, and yuzu, among others.

From Salon

The Astro can “do the robot dance” and “beatbox,” which are probably its best party tricks.

From The Verge