treble
Americanadjective
-
threefold; triple.
-
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)
-
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
-
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
-
-
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
-
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:
He helped Liverpool to a treble, clinching the League Cup on penalties before beating Arsenal in the FA Cup final - Owen scored twice late on to turn the game in Liverpool's favour.
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026
Come full time, Dom Young also bagged a treble and England had 14.
From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026
Together, they steered the club to a treble - the Championship League Leaders' Shield, the 1895 Cup and the divisional Grand Final title.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
That season, the club also lifted the FA Cup and the Premier League trophy to become England’s first treble winners since Manchester United in 1999.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
Figure 1.10: These scores show the same notes written in treble and in bass clef.
From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones
Since it first became achievable in 1960, to become champions of England, conquer Europe and win the FA Cup and League Cup in the same campaign, there have been four different trebles.
From BBC ● Feb. 3, 2026
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
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
Had you plunged on trebles, you'd have been a winner in five of the last seven campaigns.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 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
A group of apartment owners are calling for the "right to challenge" property service charges after their annual fees have more than trebled since 2018.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
Between 2015 and 2024, the number of days exceeding 30C in the UK more than trebled compared with the 1961-1990 average, the Met Office says.
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026
During the last decade, the number of these "very hot" days more than trebled compared with the 1961-1990 average, according to the Met Office.
From BBC ● May 22, 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 Cabinet Office has grown the most of any department proportionally, approximately trebling in size since the EU referendum.
From BBC ● Apr. 10, 2025
But at the same time, they say they will accelerate the rollout of renewables - trebling offshore wind, for example - and will approve new small “modular” nuclear power stations.
From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2024
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
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