treble
Americanadjective
-
threefold; triple.
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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)
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trebled,
past participle, past
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trebling
present participle
adjective
-
threefold; triple
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of, relating to, or denoting a soprano voice or part or a high-pitched instrument
noun
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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
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-
the narrow inner ring on a dartboard
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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
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has trebledperfect
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am treblingprogressive
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are treblingprogressive
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is treblingprogressive
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have been treblingperfect progressive
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has been treblingperfect progressive
Past
-
trebledsimple
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had trebledperfect
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was treblingprogressive
-
were treblingprogressive
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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:
New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport is seeking treble damages, a court order barring the alleged anticompetitive practices and preliminary injunctive relief to prevent Amazon from terminating additional DSPs during the litigation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport seeks treble damages and a court order to bar the alleged anticompetitive practices.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
An emphatic 6-0 win over nine-man Qatar put them in a great position to qualify from the group, with Jonathan David's treble sparking joyous celebrations in Vancouver.
From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026
But Liman denied Lively’s request for treble and punitive damages, concluding that the procedural mechanism her lawyers used permitted recovery of attorneys fees and costs but not broader financial penalties.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2026
My strategy was to aim at treble 20 so carefully that I'd end up missing a fraction and getting a 1 or 5.
From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell
Midfielder Ferguson and winger McCann helped Rangers win two domestic trebles, with the former winning five league titles and 15 trophies over two spells.
From BBC ● Feb. 24, 2025
"He gave everything and put pressure on me constantly. He didn't stop hitting trebles and never gave up. My game is in a good place, but it doesn't mean anything yet."
From BBC ● Jan. 1, 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
Between 2016 and 2019, he delivered seven domestic trophies in a row, including an unbeaten debut domestic campaign and consecutive trebles.
From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2023
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
But between clubs in England it has trebled, from six to 18.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
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
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
Rents of houses and buildings in the town were doubled and trebled.
From History of Halifax City by Thomas B. Akins
"They were heard by police to be describing 'not doubling the money, but trebling it'," said Nelson.
From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026
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 increase in the number of “very hot days” of 30C or more has been even more dramatic, trebling over the last few decades.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2024
"If we're not protected we're looking at a trebling of that £125,000 bill,which will mean another £250,000 will come out of the £900,000 that we have to run our school," he said.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2022
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
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.
