percussive
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
- nonpercussive adjective
- percussively adverb
- percussiveness noun
- unpercussive adjective
Etymology
Origin of percussive
First recorded in 1785–95; percuss(ion) + -ive
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He arrived in New York City in the early 1960s, and by the age of 20 drew attention to his plays, a riot of percussive energy.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 28, 2025
By the third song, Sit Down, Stand Up, they're flexing their musical muscles, with an extended outro of percussive lunacy, aided by US session musician Chris Vatalaro.
From BBC • Nov. 21, 2025
Even John Tesh’s “Roundball Rock” — the infectious percussive theme song used during the era — is returning.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 20, 2025
Listen to his tightly harmonized vocals in “Send It On” or to the gorgeously murky electric piano in “One Mo’Gin” or to the knotty percussive crosstalk in “Sugah Daddy.”
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 15, 2025
Abruptly, the quiet is shattered by the percussive racket of the helicopter, which spirals down from the clouds and lands in a patch of fireweed.
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
