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.

---

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.

---

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

---

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

---

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

Through evocative descriptions—the skylark’s trill “hovering in the quivering air,” or the sun rising over a “silvery, dew-thick cow meadow”—Ms. Haynes invites us to take part in the daily rhythms of our natural world.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

As applause for her previous number, “Please, Please, Please,” faded and Carpenter sat down at the piano for her next number, someone in the crowd suddenly let out a loud trill.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026

Under a starry sky in the Calakmul reserve, as unseen frogs chirp and insects trill, Medellín Legorreta patiently works to untangle a bat caught in a mist net.

From Science Magazine • Oct. 11, 2023

My filly’s whinny, timid trill: I’m sitting by this icy rill, In wintry, frigid wild?

From Washington Post • Nov. 10, 2022

A bird called faintly in the distance, a high sharp trill that felt like an icy hand on Catelyn's neck.

From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin