1
: a spirited and usually cheerful song or tune
2
: a rhythmical swing, flow, or cadence
3
: a springy buoyant movement
lilted; lilting; lilts
: to sing or play in a lively cheerful manner
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
Richard Brody, New Yorker, 23 Apr. 2025
The tinkering percussion is no match for her lyrical display, delivered with the sarcastic lilt of Slick Rick and impressive meter.
66.
—Steven J. Horowitz, Vulture, 11 Apr. 2025
Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 9 May 2025
Jackie sought the support of her father, Roberto, who immigrated to the United States from Guadalajara in his 20s, with the conception and creation of the lilting terracotta and rebar sculpture.
—Tara Anne Dalbow, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for lilt
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Noun
The sophisticated parsing of law and finance, the hard-nosed practicality of retail politics, and the workaday lilt of person-in-the-street interviews converge on the soundtrack and are reflected in images that are modestly but candidly communicative—uninflected but humming with passion.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 23 Apr. 2025
The tinkering percussion is no match for her lyrical display, delivered with the sarcastic lilt of Slick Rick and impressive meter.
66.
—Steven J. Horowitz, Vulture, 11 Apr. 2025
Verb
The show starts calmly with the dapper musician Coalhouse Walker Jr. astride his piano bench, playing a gentle, lilting ragtime melody.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 9 May 2025
Jackie sought the support of her father, Roberto, who immigrated to the United States from Guadalajara in his 20s, with the conception and creation of the lilting terracotta and rebar sculpture.
—Tara Anne Dalbow, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for lilt
Cite this Entry
“Lilt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lilt. Accessed 13 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
lilt
2 of 2 noun
: a lively and cheerful sound or expression
a tune with a lilt
a lilt in her voice
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