warble
1 Americanverb (used without object)
-
warbles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
warbled,
past participle, past
-
warbling
present participle
-
to sing or whistle with trills, quavers, or melodic embellishments.
The canary warbled most of the day.
-
to yodel.
-
(of electronic equipment) to produce a continuous sound varying regularly in pitch and frequency.
verb (used with object)
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warbles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
warbled,
past participle, past
-
warbling
present participle
-
to sing (an aria or other selection) with trills, quavers, or melodious turns.
-
to express or celebrate in or as if in song; carol.
noun
-
a warbled song or succession of melodic trills, quavers, etc.
-
the act of warbling.
noun
-
a small, hard tumor on a horse's back, produced by the galling of the saddle.
-
a lump in the skin of an animal's back, containing the larva of a warble fly.
verb
-
to sing (words, songs, etc) with trills, runs, and other embellishments
-
(tr) to utter in a song
-
another word for yodel
noun
noun
-
a small lumpy abscess under the skin of cattle caused by infestation with larvae of the warble fly
-
a hard tumorous lump of tissue on a horse's back, caused by prolonged friction of a saddle
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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warblesimple
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warblessimple
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have warbledperfect
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has warbledperfect
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am warblingprogressive
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are warblingprogressive
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is warblingprogressive
-
have been warblingperfect progressive
-
has been warblingperfect progressive
Past
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warbledsimple
-
had warbledperfect
-
was warblingprogressive
-
were warblingprogressive
-
had been warblingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of warble1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English noun werble, warble “a tune,” from Old North French, from Germanic; compare Old High German werbel “something that turns”
Origin of warble2
First recorded in 1575–85; origin uncertain; compare Middle Swedish varbulde “boil”
Explanation
To warble is to sing in an uneven, quavering voice. You won't win any singing contests if you warble the songs. Think of the class of song birds known as warblers. They have great songs, but they don't sound quite human. They trill, whistle, vibrate and constantly change pitch. That's a warble. Done well, a human warble can be as engaging as it is difficult. But an old lady with unsteady lungs and vocal chords may also warble, and it is neither deliberate nor very pleasing to the ears.
Vocabulary lists containing warble
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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:
It sounds fantastic, and it’s so loyal to every jaunty warble that audiences might not notice.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2025
Then comes that "no no no no please don't" passage, when Barrymore's voice shudders with a tender warble.
From Salon ● May 1, 2024
Their beautiful warble is a quintessential Australian sound and, as predators of many pests, they are vital to the country's ecosystems.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2023
A passing gravitational wave generally stretches one arm more than the other, causing light to warble out of the device in sync with the wave.
From Science Magazine ● May 16, 2023
The radio hummed with the faint warble of the gospel hour program.
From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez
“Crying in a suit and tie,” she warbles, referring to her onstage look from a few years ago, then twisting the image into a joke with “But you should see the other guy.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
“Today we recognize the men who’ve hacked the system,” says the narrator as a background singer warbles “hacked the system.”
From Washington Times ● Apr. 17, 2023
Through the commotion, Trippie commands attention with his vocals, vacillating between cartoonish warbles and metal screams in the blink of an eye.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 13, 2023
The site’s most famous species are the rose-ringed parakeets whose green feathers and high-pitched warbles are hard to miss.
From New York Times ● Dec. 28, 2022
It was not a call; it was a true birdsong, with trills and warbles.
From "Walk Two Moons" by Sharon Creech
To date, we’ve placed one order on Amazon: an irregularly oriented clothing-rod system that fits my old, warbled closet.
From Salon ● Mar. 29, 2025
RAYYAN, Qatar — Three different reporters got the microphone at various times and said they didn’t really have any questions, then warbled on with thanks and praise and pretty much euphoria.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 6, 2022
Maurine Kornfeld stood on the deck of the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center and, smiling over her teammates, warbled her response: “Thank you, all. Thank you, all,” she sang.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 27, 2021
The area is home to woodpeckers like the red-breasted sapsucker and songbirds like the black-headed grosbeak, which whistles its warbled song in the shade.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 15, 2021
Fidelito chirped and warbled about rotting whales all the way back to the factory.
From "The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer
Just a few tracks depart from the slow tempos and warbling vocals, and their difference makes them sound more exciting than they might in isolation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
The frontman seems to somehow anchor the rhythmic chaos, warbling words that swerve wildly between incisiveness and irreverence; wisdom and wonderful nonsense.
From BBC ● Jan. 6, 2026
Like a trio of canaries in a coal mine warbling at the top of their lungs, three recent studies warn of various ways that global warming is drastically changing the planet.
From Salon ● Mar. 11, 2024
Stories of Yaw’s early musical talent were many and varied: Her first warbling was with the birds, or with her mother, or to a startled Sunday school teacher.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 6, 2024
He’d begin to whistle “Begin the Beguine” warbling the melody to evoke a clarinet’s vibrato and fingering the air.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
