percussion instrument per·cus·sio·ninstrument uncommon noun 1. a musical instrument in which the sound is produced by one object striking another Synonymspercussion instrumentpercussive instrument Related words Broader terms musical instrument Narrower terms boneschimecymbaldrumglockenspielgongkettlemarimba WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved.