trill

1 of 3

noun

ˈtril 

1

a

: the alternation of two musical tones a diatonic second apart

called also shake

b

: vibrato

c

: a rapid reiteration of the same tone especially on a percussion instrument

2

: a sound resembling a musical trill : warble

3

a

: the rapid vibration of one speech organ against another (as of the tip of the tongue against the ridge of bone behind the teeth in the upper jaw)

b

: a speech sound made by a trill

trill

2 of 3

verb (1)

trilled; trilling; trills

intransitive verb

: to play or sing with a trill : quaver

transitive verb

: to utter as or with or as if with a trill

trill the r

triller noun

trill

3 of 3

verb (2)

trilled; trilling; trills

intransitive verb

1

: to flow in a small stream or in drops : trickle

2

: twirl, revolve

transitive verb

: to cause to flow in a small stream

Synonyms

Verb (1)

• warble
• chant
• chorus
• quaver

Examples of trill in a Sentence

Noun

She pronounces her r's with a trill.

the trill of the bird

Verb (1)

a bluebird trilled outside our window

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Some species manipulate their song to sound more impressive, by incorporating new elements or performing impressive acoustic feats through note modification – imagine a trill or an impressive high note. —Sofia Marie Haley, The Conversation, 27 May 2025

The mare has a bird-like trill in her; the stallion is a little bit more lion and bear. —Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 28 Mar. 2025

Verb

There’ll probably be some cowbells, and there might be someone trilling in sultry Portuguese or a burst of wordless, stoic alpha-male grunts. —Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 26 Mar. 2025

Her soft-focus voice floats over trilling mandolin picking and reserved fiddle. —Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 10 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Italian trillo probably of imitative origin

Verb (2)

Middle English; akin to Middle Dutch trillen to vibrate, Swedish trilla to roll

First Known Use

Noun

1649, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb (1)

circa 1667, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Verb (2)

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

Rhymes for trill

• bill
• brill
• chill
• drill
• fil
• fill
• frill
• gill
• grill
• grille
• jill
• kill

Kids Definition

trill

1 of 2 noun

ˈtril 

1

a

: the alternation of two musical tones a whole step apart

b

: vibrato

2

: warble entry 1 sense 1

3

a

: the rapid vibration of one speech organ against another (as of the tip of the tongue against the teeth)

b

: a speech sound produced by a trill

trill

2 of 2 verb

1

: to utter as or with a trill

trilled the letter r

2

: to play or sing with a trill : quaver