high-hat

1 of 2

adjective

ˈhī-ˈhat

Synonyms of high-hat

: snooty, snobbish

high-hat transitive verb

high hat

2 of 2

noun

: beaver entry 1 sense 2

or hi-hat

ˈhī-ˈhat

: a pair of cymbals operated by a foot pedal

Examples of high-hat in a Sentence

Adjective at the wedding reception the bride's high-hat relatives did their considerable best to ignore us several high-hat society types arrived after we did, but they got seated first

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Adjective

For the opening scene, in which a couple makes out in a car, singer Stuart A. Staples croons the title track, with some café jazz accompaniment: Bass, piano, and lightly tapped high-hat. —Indiewire Staff, IndieWire, 14 Aug. 2024

The bass, high-hat, guitar, and vocals all remain distinct in this busy mix and benefit from strong detail when the track fully kicks in. —PCMAG, 10 July 2024 As the drummer counted in on his high-hat my mind went blank: not just on how to play the song, but how to play guitar, how to stay standing, how to blink, breathe, and stay conscious. —Chris Fleming, SPIN, 4 Apr. 2023

Noun

Instead of high hats, use wall washers, which bounce light off the walls and space. —Adam Shell, USA TODAY, 17 Mar. 2025 Going high hat just did not fit, and on Sept. 9, 1927, the Bernheimer flags came down. —Jacques Kelly, Baltimore Sun, 4 June 2022 It’s one of those ABBA songs that fools you with its mirror ball synths, a classic disco rhythm on the high hat and lush harmonizing. —Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY, 6 Nov. 2021 Indeed, at Thursday’s show in Charlotte, Jordan integrated Watts’ signature swing – and his unusual way of playing by not hitting the high hat and snare simultaneously – with his own muscular approach. —Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY, 1 Oct. 2021 Deja stifled a yawn and cranked up her music; the warring bass and high hat thrummed in her chest and kept her mostly awake. —Brittany N. Williams, NOLA.com, 26 Oct. 2020 The song -- a frenetic trap banger built from buzzy synths and high hat -- debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100 on March 2, 2013, the same week Billboard started factoring YouTube streaming data into the chart's methodology. —Katie Bain, Billboard, 21 Nov. 2019 Here comes one now, rattling catastrophically, like Max Roach whaling on the high hat. —Alexandra Schwartz, The New Yorker, 18 Nov. 2019 The disco-pop track is about as close as Mitski has come to mainstream radio fare, with its bubbly beat, toe-tap-ready high hat and her sweet croon recalling another era. —Raisa Bruner, Time, 29 June 2018

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1924, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1885, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of high-hat was in 1885

See more words from the same year

Browse Nearby Words

high hat

high-hat

high heal-all

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Cite this Entry

Style

“High-hat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/high-hat. Accessed 27 Mar. 2025.

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Kids Definition

high-hat

1 of 2 adjective

-ˈhat

: behaving like a snob

high-hat

2 of 2 verb

high-hatted; high-hatting

: to treat in a snobbish manner

high-hat

adjective

noun

Synonyms

Examples of high-hat in a Sentence

Word History

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition

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high-hat

adjective

noun

Synonyms

Examples of high-hat in a Sentence

Word History

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Share

Kids Definition

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Can you solve 4 words at once?

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