as in accent
the attractive quality of speech or music that rises and falls in a pleasing pattern
There was a charming lilt to her voice. a tune with a lilt
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Recent Examples of lilt
Liam Hess, Vogue, 4 Feb. 2026
Being the naive newbie in Idaho does suit Cale, with his British lilt and fey enthusiasm for the manliness of the West.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 6 Nov. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for lilt
Noun
As the song unfolds, their voices begin to braid together like twin strands of ivy—a Scottish lilt and a Montana twang—creeping across a hard stone wall of fuzzy grunge guitars.
—Liam Hess, Vogue, 4 Feb. 2026
Being the naive newbie in Idaho does suit Cale, with his British lilt and fey enthusiasm for the manliness of the West.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 6 Nov. 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
See All Example Sentences for lilt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lilt
Noun
-
Another modernized it with bold accents and colors, plus upgraded surfaces.—
Sarah Lyon,
The Spruce,
3 May 2026
-
Still, there are occasional Lincoln accents.—
Michelle Del Rey,
USA Today,
3 May 2026
Verb
-
Nat King Cole crooned about its kicks in a 1946 hit song.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Adam Sandler crooned it in the 2006 Click, as the soundtrack to his first kiss with Kate Beckinsale.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
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As part of that, the cadence of launches on Falcon 9 and other rockets to the Moon is likely to increase by something like a factor of 10 due to the need to land rovers, supplies, habitats, communications equipment, and much more to support human activities.—
Eric Berger,
ArsTechnica,
29 Apr. 2026
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Online and hybrid formats are what make that cadence feasible at scale.—
Ian Gibson,
Mercury News,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The track begins with Winter’s distinct vocals warbling and wobbling over a tender percussion groove.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
8 July 2025
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The famous John Williams fanfare that blasted Star Wars onto our screens had appreciably less impact than even a standard screen would now offer, let alone IMAX and Dolby Cinema premium offerings while at some parts of the film, the sound warbled a little, before returning to normal.—
Benny Har-Even,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2025
Noun
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Emery’s eminence in Europe has been predicated on managing two-legged contests, knowing that the pace and rhythm is different.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
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If Haynes’s approach to the social-justice movie is to show how the genre works against the rhythms of real-life circumstance, then Hathaway’s performance indicates how this trope works within that genre.—
Chris Feil,
Vulture,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
In the fall, the workers trade in their pruning shears for knives sharp enough to skin a deer in minutes.—
Craig Shoup,
Nashville Tennessean,
28 Nov. 2025
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Today there’s a rich universe of supplemental Pynchon material ranging from prose only an English PhD could unpack, to sharp analysis that makes the experience of reading Pynchon communal and fun.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
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There was a steady cadence of police cars humming past, as well as officers stationed outside the local London Underground station.—
Alexander Smith,
NBC news,
1 May 2026
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Having Nabers and Slayton out of practice for such a long time will present a challenge for John Harbaugh, Matt Nagy and Dart to get this offense humming early in 2026.—
Pat Leonard,
New York Daily News,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In a now-viral clip, Carpenter overheard someone from the crowd trilling during her set for Weekend 1 and asked if the audience member was yodeling.—
Natalie Oganesyan,
Deadline,
11 Apr. 2026
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Serene spa music, a blend of classical piano and loudly chirping birds, trilled in the background as the machine sloshed and gurgled.—
Deborah Vankin,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lilt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lilt. Accessed 7 May. 2026.
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