trill

[ tril ]

/ trɪl /

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See synonyms for: trill / trilled on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to sing or play with a vibratory or quavering effect.

Phonetics. to produce (a sound) with a trill.

(of birds, insects, etc.) to sing or utter in a succession of rapidly alternating sounds.

verb (used without object)

to resound vibrantly, or with a rapid succession of sounds, as the voice, song, or laughter.

to utter or make a sound or succession of sounds resembling such singing, as a bird, frog, grasshopper, or person laughing.

to execute a shake or trill with the voice or on a musical instrument.

Phonetics. to execute a trill, especially with the tongue, as while singing, talking, or whistling.

noun

the act or sound of trilling.

Music. a rapid alternation of two adjacent tones; a shake.

a similar sound, or succession of sounds, uttered or made by a bird, an insect, a person laughing, etc.

Phonetics.

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.
a speech sound produced by such a trill.

OTHER WORDS FOR trill

4 quaver, tremble, vibrate.

5 cheep, chirp, chirrup, peep, sing, tweet, twitter, warble.

10 birdsong, call, cheep, chirp, chirr, chirrup, peep, pipe, song, tweet, twitter.

See synonyms for trill on Thesaurus.com

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Question 1 of 7

“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

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Origin of trill

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)”

Other definitions for trill (2 of 2)

trill²

[ tril ]

/ trɪl /

Archaic.

verb (used without object)

to flow in a thin stream; trickle.

verb (used with object)

to cause to flow in a thin stream.

Origin of trill

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 trill¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use trill in a sentence

Allopreening, and making their trilling call back and forth, seem to cement the bond between mated birds, and both activities take place year-round, even when the birds are least interested in sex.
Three love stories about birds that will delight your heart|Laura Erickson|November 6, 2020|Popular-Science
On a night stroll in the winter woods, we may hear several making their long, plaintive trills.
Three love stories about birds that will delight your heart|Laura Erickson|November 6, 2020|Popular-Science
For more than another hour that sweet nasal monotonous voice trilled on.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
Here sparth, with trilled r, appears to be dissyllabic; cf. ll.
Chaucer's Works, Volume 1 (of 7) -- Romaunt of the Rose; Minor Poems|Geoffrey Chaucer

Then the mocker trilled again, the talk became confused, coming in fragments across the wall.
Maid Sally|Harriet A. Cheever
The song of birds trilled in the air, and the fresh, keen scent of the rain-washed pines was pungent in their nostrils.
The Terms of Surrender|Louis Tracy
The Princess Margaret trilled into merriest laughter and reached back a hand to take Joan's fingers in hers protectingly.
Joan of the Sword Hand|S(amuel) R(utherford) Crockett

British Dictionary definitions for trill (1 of 2)

trill¹

/ (trɪl) /

noun

music a melodic ornament consisting of a rapid alternation between a principal note and the note a whole tone or semitone above itUsual symbol: (written above a note) tr., tr

a shrill warbling sound, esp as made by some birds

phonetics

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
the production of a similar effect using the uvula against the back of the tongue

verb

to sound, sing, or play (a trill or with a trill)

(tr) to pronounce (an (r) sound) by the production of a trill

Word Origin for trill

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

British Dictionary definitions for trill (2 of 2)

trill²

/ (trɪl) /

verb, noun

an archaic or poetic word for trickle

Word Origin for trill

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

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

trill

OTHER WORDS FOR trill

Origin of trill

Other definitions for trill (2 of 2)

Origin of trill

Words related to trill

How to use trill in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for trill (1 of 2)

Word Origin for trill

British Dictionary definitions for trill (2 of 2)

Word Origin for trill