Showing definitions for trill

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Slang dictionary results for trill

trill

¹ American  

[tril] / trɪl /

verb (used with object)

1. to sing or play with a vibratory or quavering effect.

2. Phonetics. to produce (a sound) with a trill.

3. (of birds, insects, etc.) to sing or utter in a succession of rapidly alternating sounds.

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verb (used without object)

1. to resound vibrantly, or with a rapid succession of sounds, as the voice, song, or laughter.

   Synonyms:

   vibrate, tremble, quaver

2. to utter or make a sound or succession of sounds resembling such singing, as a bird, frog, grasshopper, or person laughing.

   Synonyms:

   warble, twitter, tweet, sing, peep, chirrup, chirp, cheep

3. to execute a shake or trill with the voice or on a musical instrument.

4. Phonetics. to execute a trill, especially with the tongue, as while singing, talking, or whistling.

noun

1. the act or sound of trilling.

2. Music. a rapid alternation of two adjacent tones; a shake.

3. a similar sound, or succession of sounds, uttered or made by a bird, an insect, a person laughing, etc.

   Synonyms:

   song, pipe, peep, chirrup, chirr, chirp, cheep, call, birdsong, twitter, tweet

4. Phonetics.

   1. a sequence of repetitive, rapid, vibratory movements produced in any free articulator or membrane by a rush of air expelled from the lungs and often causing a corresponding sequence of contacts between the vibrating articulator and another organ or surface.

   2. a speech sound produced by such a trill.

trill ² American  

[tril] / trɪl /

verb (used without object)

1. to flow in a thin stream; trickle.

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verb (used with object)

1. to cause to flow in a thin stream.

trill ¹ British  

/ trɪl /

noun

1. Usual symbol: tr..   tr.  music a melodic ornament consisting of a rapid alternation between a principal note and the note a whole tone or semitone above it

2. a shrill warbling sound, esp as made by some birds

3. phonetics

   1. the articulation of an (r) sound produced by holding the tip of the tongue close to the alveolar ridge, allowing the tongue to make a succession of taps against the ridge

   2. the production of a similar effect using the uvula against the back of the tongue

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verb

1. to sound, sing, or play (a trill or with a trill)

2. (tr) to pronounce (an (r) sound) by the production of a trill

trill ² British  

/ trɪl /

verb

1. an archaic or poetic word for trickle

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Usage

What else does trill mean? Trill is a blend of true and real, used in hip-hop slang for someone or something that is genuine and authentic.

Etymology

Origin of trill¹

First recorded in 1640–50; from Italian trillo, triglio “quaver or warble in singing,” ultimately from Germanic; compare Dutch trillen “to vibrate,” late Middle English trillen “to shake or rock (something)”

Origin of trill²

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English trillen “to make (something) turn, to roll, flow (said of tears, water),” from Old Danish trijlæ “to roll” (said, e.g., of tears and of a wheelbarrow); compare Norwegian trille , Swedish trilla; see trill ¹

Explanation

If you're fluent in Spanish, you are probably able to speak with a trill, or a fluttering r sound. Many languages include a trill in their pronunciation, the sound of a consonant spoken while the tongue vibrates in a very specific way against the teeth or roof of the mouth. To pronounce this sound is also to trill. The word originally referred to a vibrating or warbling sound made by a singer, from the Italian word trillio, "a quavering or warbling," and it's also often used to describe the sound a bird makes.

Example Sentences

Trill Williams tore the ACL in his left knee during the preseason.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 28, 2023

The festival’s food and drink options have range: from Bang Bang Noodles selling cuisine from China’s Shaanxi province to Trill Burgers’ award-winning smash burgers.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2023

“I’m going to remember that forever,” said Mr. Preston, a designer who brought streetwear to high fashion in the 2010s with his collective Been Trill.

From New York Times • Oct. 5, 2021

The fourth episode brought me to tears as it takes us back to Trill, a significant planet from earlier Trek series that’s home to humanoid beings and their symbiotic worm counterparts.

From Slate • Dec. 3, 2020

Trill and quavers and roulades are shaken from his bow as lightly as foam from the prow of a ship.

From Melody : the Story of a Child by Richards, Laura Elizabeth Howe