trill

¹

[tril]

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.

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

[tril]

verb (used without object)

1. to flow in a thin stream; trickle.

verb (used with object)

1. to cause to flow in a thin stream.

trill

¹

/ 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

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

/ trɪl /

verb

1. an archaic or poetic word for trickle

Word History and Origins

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; trill ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of trill¹

C17: from Italian trillo , from trillare , apparently from Middle Dutch trillen to vibrate

Origin of trill²

C14: probably of Scandinavian origin; related to Norwegian trilla to roll; see _trill ¹

Example Sentences

“Are you making up how to direct as you go along?” she trills to Godard in her Iowa-accented French.

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The Cowardly Lion no longer trills about becoming king of the forest.

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“He’s busy, he’s working, he doesn’t have time for me,” she trills exasperatedly in “My Man on Willpower,” “My slutty pajamas not tempting him in the least.”

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“Some boys take a beautiful girl and hide her away from the rest of the world,” she trilled.

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Flighty and magnetic, Oliver trills that his clique is “one big happy family,” using his faux-obliviousness to shield himself from being the bad guy.

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When To Use

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.