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
Pete Hammond, Deadline, 19 Mar. 2025
This region is vast and diverse, with as many variations on our signature lilt as there are preparations of barbecue.
—Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 14 Jan. 2025
Raquel Willis, Time, 19 June 2025
Her typical highly inflected voice with her signature lilt that ended every sentence on an up note was gone.
—Patricia Steckler, Baltimore Sun, 18 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for lilt
Noun
Platt has assembled key creatives from his own Oscar-winning La La Land including songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, who have provided some lively and lilting new tunes.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 19 Mar. 2025
This region is vast and diverse, with as many variations on our signature lilt as there are preparations of barbecue.
—Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 14 Jan. 2025
Verb
There is something so soothing and encouraging about the old-school campy lilt to her voice.
—Raquel Willis, Time, 19 June 2025
Her typical highly inflected voice with her signature lilt that ended every sentence on an up note was gone.
—Patricia Steckler, Baltimore Sun, 18 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for lilt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lilt
Noun
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Just a few autumnal accents can turn your mantel into a harvest haven—and a festive display doesn’t need to break the bank.—
Mariana Best,
Better Homes & Gardens,
5 Sep. 2025
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The Speak No Evil star is bringing his directorial debut California Schemin’ to the Toronto Film Festival for a world premiere, and his hip hop hoax movie reveals why Scots speaking with a different accent from the English face key barriers to success down south.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The group’s members respond in kind, crooning the song’s longing lyrics in Korean at Minogue as the studio audience lose it and their other four bandmates, and J Balvin, look on with big smiles from chairs just offstage.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
2 Sep. 2025
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On today’s episode: John Legend croons; CPI inflation soothes; Same job as mom?—
Darian Woods,
NPR,
15 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Traditional marketing mix modeling has typically been slow to field and refresh—often taking weeks to months to build and then updating on quarterly or biannual cadences, which means insights can arrive long after campaigns have ended.—
Kiri Masters,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
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SpaceX has spent more than six years delivering the satellites to orbit with a regular cadence of rocket launches from both Florida and California.—
Eric Lagatta,
AZCentral.com,
2 Sep. 2025
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
-
Events unfurled to the rhythm of only one racket.—
Tim Ellis,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
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After a few hiccups, the crew finds their rhythm in the 2015 original, only to be joined by four new emotions in the 2024 sequel.—
Sydni Ellis,
PEOPLE,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Why would sharp-as-nails med school grads opt toward a presumably dead-end occupational route?—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
4 Aug. 2025
-
Thompson was pretty brave for weaving his fingers with Meg's, considering how long and sharp her stiletto manicure is.—
Marci Robin,
Allure,
17 July 2025
Verb
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Kelce also had a cameo in Happy Gilmore 2, which premiered on Netflix in July, and New Heights, his podcast with his brother, former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce, is humming along after Amazon’s Wondery picked it up last year in a three-year deal for a minimum of $105 million.—
Brett Knight,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
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For decades, the profession has been stereotyped as a world of calculators and spreadsheets, quietly humming in the background of business.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The blast furnace of volcanoes has fallen silent, replaced by birdsong trilling from the branches and echoing through a garden of exotic stone.—
Roger Naylor,
AZCentral.com,
29 Aug. 2025
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Expect to marvel at saddles blanketed in blueberries and multi-hued wildflowers, marmots trilling their warnings, ibex perched on rocky spines, and neon critters that wiggle and hop underfoot.—
Wendy Altschuler,
Forbes.com,
16 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lilt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lilt. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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