treble

1 of 3

noun

tre·​ble ˈtre-bəl 

1

a

: the highest voice part in harmonic music : soprano

b

: one that performs a treble part

also : a member of a family of instruments having the highest range

c

: a high-pitched or shrill voice, tone, or sound

d

: the upper half of the whole vocal or instrumental tonal range compare bass

e

: the higher portion of the audio frequency range in sound recording and broadcasting

2

: something treble in construction, uses, amount, number, or value

treble

2 of 3

adjective

1

a

: relating to or having the range or part of a treble

b

: high-pitched, shrill

c

: of, relating to, or having the range of treble in sound recording and broadcasting

treble frequencies

2

a

: having three parts or uses : threefold

b

: triple in number or amount

trebly

ˈtre-b(ə-)lē 

adverb

treble

3 of 3

verb

trebled; trebling ˈtre-b(ə-)liŋ 

transitive verb

: to increase threefold

intransitive verb

1

: to sing treble

2

: to grow to three times the size, amount, or number

Synonyms of treble

Adjective

• shrill
• whistling
• shrieking

Examples of treble in a Sentence

Noun

Turn down the treble on the radio and turn up the bass.

The part is sung by a boy treble.

Adjective

the treble shrieks of children at play

a treble painting, with each panel telling a different part of the Nativity story

Verb

She trebled her earnings in only two years.

Prices have trebled in only two years.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The win keeps Bayern, which clinched the Bundesliga title on Saturday, on course for a treble of trophies. —ABC News, 22 Apr. 2026

The result is a pair of headphones with coherent imaging, a more natural treble and a tighter and more-controlled bass response. —Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 31 Mar. 2026

Adjective

After beating Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final, Liverpool in the FA Cup, Chelsea, Arsenal and now Burnley in the league, City could even win a domestic treble, the second of the Guardiola era. —Sam Lee, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2026

At treble damages that would amount to less than $450 million — not too far above the $280 million Live Nation has already set aside. —Justin Zacks, CNBC, 23 Apr. 2026

Verb

Since 2020, both the volume and number of transactions have more than trebled. —Zennon Kapron, Forbes.com, 22 Feb. 2026

The news confirms an earlier story from CNBC, which reported on Tuesday that Lovable had raised at that valuation, trebling its valuation from its previous round in July, and that the investors included U.S. VC firms Accel and Khosla Ventures. —Kai Nicol-Schwarz, CNBC, 18 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, the highest part in a three-part composition, from treble, adjective

Adjective

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin triplus — more at triple

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Phrases Containing treble

• treble clef
• treble staff

Rhymes for treble

• jebel
• nebel
• pebble
• rebel
• jezebel

Kids Definition

treble

1 of 3 noun

tre·​ble ˈtreb-əl 

1

a

: the highest of the four voice parts in vocal music : soprano

b

: a singer or instrument having the highest range

2

: a high-pitched or shrill voice, tone, or sound

3

: the upper half of the musical pitch range compare bass entry 2

treble

2 of 3 adjective

1

a

: having three parts

b

: triple in number or amount

2

a

: relating to or having the range of a musical treble

treble voice

b

: high-pitched, shrill

trebly

ˈtreb-(ə-)lē 

adverb

treble

3 of 3 verb

trebled; trebling ˈtreb-(ə-)liŋ 

: to make or become three times the size, amount, or number