warble

¹ American  

[wawr-buhl] / ˈwɔr bəl /

verb (used without object)

warbled, warbling

1. to sing or whistle with trills, quavers, or melodic embellishments.

   The canary warbled most of the day.

2. to yodel.

3. (of electronic equipment) to produce a continuous sound varying regularly in pitch and frequency.

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verb (used with object)

warbled, warbling

1. to sing (an aria or other selection) with trills, quavers, or melodious turns.

2. to express or celebrate in or as if in song; carol.

noun

1. a warbled song or succession of melodic trills, quavers, etc.

2. the act of warbling.

warble ² American  

[wawr-buhl] / ˈwɔr bəl /

noun

Veterinary Pathology.

1. a small, hard tumor on a horse's back, produced by the galling of the saddle.

2. a lump in the skin of an animal's back, containing the larva of a warble fly.

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warble ¹ British  

/ ˈwɔːbəl /

verb

1. to sing (words, songs, etc) with trills, runs, and other embellishments

2. (tr) to utter in a song

3. another word for yodel

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noun

1. the act or an instance of warbling

warble ² British  

/ ˈwɔːbəl /

noun

1. a small lumpy abscess under the skin of cattle caused by infestation with larvae of the warble fly

2. a hard tumorous lump of tissue on a horse's back, caused by prolonged friction of a saddle

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Other Word Forms

• unwarbled adjective
• warbled adjective

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.

Example Sentences

Frontman Cameron Winter anchors the chaos with his singular warble, and lyrics that swerve wildly between irreverence and incisiveness.

From BBC • Dec. 20, 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

The tune, named “Down Ampney” after the Gloucestershire village in which this English composer was born in 1872, is simple, elegant and, as it turns out, satisfying to warble your way through.

From New York Times • Aug. 8, 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

Between his deep croak, Hannah’s squeaky warble, and the fact that they were making up words on the fly Coal began to giggle.

From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste

Related Words

• chirp
• trill