treble
Americanadjective
-
threefold; triple.
-
Music.
-
of or relating to the highest part in harmonized music; soprano.
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of the highest pitch or range, as a voice part, voice, singer, or instrument.
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high in pitch; shrill.
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noun
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trebles
plural
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Music.
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the treble or soprano part.
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a treble voice, singer, or instrument.
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a high or shrill voice or sound.
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the highest-pitched peal of a bell.
verb (used with or without object)
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trebles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
trebled,
past participle, past
-
trebling
present participle
adjective
-
threefold; triple
-
of, relating to, or denoting a soprano voice or part or a high-pitched instrument
noun
-
three times the amount, size, etc
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a soprano voice or part or a high-pitched instrument
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the highest register of a musical instrument
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-
the high-frequency response of an audio amplifier, esp in a record player or tape recorder
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a control knob on such an instrument by means of which the high-frequency gain can be increased or decreased
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Leisure:Bell-ringing the lightest and highest bell in a ring
-
-
the narrow inner ring on a dartboard
-
a hit on this ring
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verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
treblesimple
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treblessimple
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have trebledperfect
-
has trebledperfect
-
am treblingprogressive
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are treblingprogressive
-
is treblingprogressive
-
have been treblingperfect progressive
-
has been treblingperfect progressive
Past
-
trebledsimple
-
had trebledperfect
-
was treblingprogressive
-
were treblingprogressive
-
had been treblingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of treble
1275–1325; (adj. and noun) Middle English < Middle French < Latin triplus triple; (v.) Middle English treblen, derivative of the adj.
Explanation
Something that's treble has three parts or sections. You could describe a tricycle as a treble wheeled vehicle. You can use the adjective treble to mean "triple," either because it's three times as large, or has three components. If you watch three movies in a row at a theater, you can call it a treble feature. A three-headed monster can also be described as treble headed. Another meaning of treble is a high-pitched singing voice, especially a boy's. Treble comes from the Latin word triplus, or "threefold."
Vocabulary lists containing treble
"The Tempest," Vocabulary from Acts 1 and 2
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Excerpt from "As You Like It"
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Part 2 Vocabulary (Unit 3)
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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.
See Examples For:
Together, they steered the club to a treble - the Championship League Leaders' Shield, the 1895 Cup and the divisional Grand Final title.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
That season, the club also lifted the FA Cup and the Premier League trophy to become England’s first treble winners since Manchester United in 1999.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
The lock is costing £15.5bn a year, treble original estimates of the 2030 cost, especially because of the volatility of prices and earnings.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
Dambrauskas won two league titles, three Lithuanian Cups and two Lithuanian Super Cups across three seasons - including a treble in 2016.
From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026
Ignoring me, he addressed his sister in a piercing treble: “Miss Megley said you must come and finish your tea!”
From "Nine Stories" by J. D. Salinger
The Azzurri have finished fourth in this year's table after failing to achieve two unique trebles at the Principality Stadium.
From BBC ● Mar. 14, 2026
Since it first became achievable in 1960, to become champions of England, conquer Europe and win the FA Cup and League Cup in the same campaign, there have been four different trebles.
From BBC ● Feb. 3, 2026
If trebles are for show and doubles for dough, he has both bases covered.
From BBC ● Jan. 4, 2025
Defeat ended City’s bid to become the first English team to win back-to-back Champions League titles and its pursuit of successive trebles.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 17, 2024
Ignatius lis-tened to the bloodcurdling little trebles and giggles and gloated in his dark lair.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
The number of days exceeding 30C in the UK more than trebled between 2015 and 2024 compared with the 1961-1990 average, according to the Met Office.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
Between 2015 and 2024, the number of days exceeding 30C in the UK more than trebled compared with the 1961-1990 average, the Met Office says.
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026
Since being knocked out on penalties, the Reds have won just 49.2% of their past 59 games, while their loss percentage has more than trebled.
From BBC ● Apr. 8, 2026
More positively, Ahmed assumes $200 million of costs will be removed by FY 2027 as WiseTech cuts a workforce that trebled in size over three years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 26, 2026
The bank deposits, which had been trebled in a decade, had to earn interest on the additional 7 millions of money held and advanced.
From Our First Half-Century: A Review of Queensland Progress Based Upon Official Information by Queensland
Amsterdam, writes Mr. Mikhail, was “one of the most significant global metropolises” of the 17th century, its population trebling between 1585 and 1622.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2026
The Cabinet Office has grown the most of any department proportionally, approximately trebling in size since the EU referendum.
From BBC ● Apr. 10, 2025
The number of Indians investing through SIPs has soared past 100 million, nearly trebling from 34 million five years ago.
From BBC ● Mar. 5, 2025
In July 2022, there were 21,246 outdoor fires - nearly trebling the previous July's figure.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2023
People swarming in, cities doubling and trebling in numbers of inhabitants, while the fiscal guardians groan over the increasing weight of improvements and the need to care for a large new spate of indigents.
From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck
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