tra-la

[ trah-lah ]

noun

nonsense syllables sung as a refrain, expressing gaiety.

Origin of tra-la

First recorded in 1815–25

Also tra-la-la [trah-lah-lah] /ˈtrɑ lɑˈlɑ/ .

Words Nearby tra-la

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use tra-la in a sentence

"tra-la, tra-la-la-la-la," chirped he, softly and contentedly.
The Diamond Coterie | Lawrence L. Lynch
It'll be tra-la-la for yours, if last night's a fair sample uh what yuh expect to do with the blue roan.
The Happy Family | Bertha Muzzy Bower
tra-la-la-la-la-la—he could hear a woman's voice singing scales inside, the same thing over and over again.
Dry Fish and Wet | Anthon Bernhard Elias Nilsen
And off he goes to supper, singing “tra-la-la, lambkins, we must live!”
The Browning Cyclopdia | Edward Berdoe
The flowers that bloom in the spring, tra la,” Eleanor returned saucily, “have nothing to do with the case.
Turn About Eleanor | Ethel M. Kelley

British Dictionary definitions for tra-la

tra-la

tra-la-la (ˌtrɑːlɑːˈlɑː)

/ (ˌtrɑːˈlɑː) /

noun

a set of nonsensical syllables used in humming music, esp for a melody or refrain

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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