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
Jae-Ha Kim, Rolling Stone, 10 Sep. 2025
Then, Swift entered the chat, demonstrating a popular vocal warm-up known as a lip trill.
—Skyler Caruso, People.com, 21 Aug. 2025
Roger Naylor, AZCentral.com, 29 Aug. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for trill
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Noun
Lush cellos and mournful piano trills coexist with the overall less-is-more sound.
—Jae-Ha Kim, Rolling Stone, 10 Sep. 2025
Then, Swift entered the chat, demonstrating a popular vocal warm-up known as a lip trill.
—Skyler Caruso, People.com, 21 Aug. 2025
Verb
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
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
See All Example Sentences for trill
Cite this Entry
“Trill.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trill. Accessed 3 Nov. 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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