Illustration of castanet
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castanet
noun
cas·ta·net
ˌka-stə-ˈnet 
: a percussion instrument used especially by dancers that consists of two small shells of hard wood, ivory, or plastic usually fastened to the thumb and clicked together by the other fingers
—usually used in plural
Examples of castanet in a Sentence
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The producer devised it to sound impossibly huge and melodramatic — strings, handclaps, castanets — while Hal Blaine kicked it off with that thunder-clap drum intro.
—
Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 8 May 2024
And an eerie click-clicking of shivering teeth, like castanets.
—Joyce Carol Oates, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024
Percussive footwork was multiplied in tight unison, groups moved in handsome lines and circles, castanets trilled and soloists broke out in displays of expertise.
—Brian Seibert, New York Times, 18 Mar. 2024
As for his toolbox, Metzger used castanets and finger cymbals because they had been used in the song instrumentation.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 18 Oct. 2023
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Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 8 May 2024
And an eerie click-clicking of shivering teeth, like castanets.
—Joyce Carol Oates, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024
Percussive footwork was multiplied in tight unison, groups moved in handsome lines and circles, castanets trilled and soloists broke out in displays of expertise.
—Brian Seibert, New York Times, 18 Mar. 2024
As for his toolbox, Metzger used castanets and finger cymbals because they had been used in the song instrumentation.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 18 Oct. 2023
See all Example Sentences for castanet
Dictionary Entries Near castanet
Cite this Entry
“Castanet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/castanet. Accessed 10 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
castanet
noun
cas·ta·net
ˌkas-tə-ˈnet
: a rhythm instrument that consists of two small ivory, wood, or plastic shells fastened together and attached to the thumb and clicked together by the fingers
—usually used in plural
Etymology
from Spanish castañeta "castanet," from castaña "chestnut"
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