lilt

1 of 2

noun

ˈlilt 

1

: a spirited and usually cheerful song or tune

2

: a rhythmical swing, flow, or cadence

3

: a springy buoyant movement

lilt

2 of 2

verb

lilted; lilting; lilts

transitive verb

: to sing or play in a lively cheerful manner

intransitive verb

1

: to sing or speak rhythmically and with fluctuating pitch

2

: to move in a lively springy manner

Examples of lilt in a Sentence

Noun

There was a charming lilt to her voice.

a tune with a lilt

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

So David offers Sarah a ride back to the city, at which point the car-radio version of Tinder with the mellifluous lilt directs them to a mysterious red door in the middle of nowhere. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 18 Sep. 2025

With little room to maneuver, Capuano sketched out an idea for factory-style doorways with a Parisian lilt. —Keith Flanagan, Architectural Digest, 2 Sep. 2025

Verb

The album is a triumphant release that balances anger and grief and, at times, surprising joy, with Estrada’s bright, lilting soprano piercing through the veil of her pain. —Cat Cardenas, Rolling Stone, 13 Oct. 2025

Carpenter is plainly a student of Parton’s, evoking her pinup styling (voluminous hair, big red lips), her persona (sharp with a knowing wink), and her voice, which is rich and husky and accompanied by a country lilt. —Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English lulten to sound an alarm

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1680, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1722, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Rhymes for lilt

• built
• gilt
• guilt
• hilt
• kilt
• milt
• quilt
• silt
• spilt
• stilt
• tilt
• wilt

Kids Definition

lilt

1 of 2 verb

ˈlilt 

: to sing or play in a lively cheerful manner

liltingly

ˈlil-tiŋ-lē

adverb

lilt

2 of 2 noun

: a lively and cheerful sound or expression

a tune with a lilt

a lilt in her voice