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
trilled; trilling; trills
: to play or sing with a trill : quaver
: to utter as or with or as if with a trill
trill the r
triller
noun
trilled; trilling; trills
: to cause to flow in a small stream
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
Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 20 Mar. 2025
The only sounds were the trill of someone’s cellphone alert and the dry, hacking cough coming from one of her sisters in the corner.
—Tom Bartlett, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for trill
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Noun
Another captures the rapid-fire trill of an automatic weapon.
—Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 20 Mar. 2025
The only sounds were the trill of someone’s cellphone alert and the dry, hacking cough coming from one of her sisters in the corner.
—Tom Bartlett, The Atlantic, 11 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
See All Example Sentences for trill
Cite this Entry
“Trill.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trill. Accessed 18 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
trill
1 of 2 noun1
a
: the alternation of two musical tones a whole step apart
b
: vibrato
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 verb1
: to utter as or with a trill
trilled the letter r
2
: to play or sing with a trill : quaver
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