trill
English · Thesaurus
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trill¹
- /tɹɪl/ Australia, US, UK
- [t̠ʰɹ̠̊ɪl] Australia, US, UK
- /tɾɪl/ Scotland, Wales
- /tɹəl/ New Zealand
- [t̠ʰɹ̠̊əl] New Zealand
Rhymes with -ɪl
Where it comes from
From Middle English trillen, from Italian trillo, trillare. Compare German trillern, Norwegian trille, Swedish trilla.
noun trills
- A rapid alternation between an indicated note and the one above it as an ornament; in musical notation usually indicated with the letters tr written above the staff.
- A type of consonantal sound that is produced by vibrations of the tongue against the place of articulation: for example, Spanish ⟨rr⟩, /r/.
- A tremulous high-pitched vocal sound produced by cats.
verb trills · trilling · trilled
-
To create a trill sound; to utter trills or a trill; to play or sing in tremulous vibrations of sound; to have a trembling sound; to quaver.
To judge of trilling notes and tripping feet.
Similar: warble
- To impart the quality of a trill to; to utter as, or with, a trill. to trill a note, or the letter r
Similar: roll
trill²
Where it comes from
Perhaps identical to Etymology 3, but compare the same sense of drill, and German trillen, drillen.
verb trills · trilling · trilled
- To trickle. I come now from seeing of a shepheard at Medoc[…]who had no signe at all of genitorie parts: But where they should be, are three little holes, by which his water doth continually tril from him.
trill³
Where it comes from
Probably related to Old English þweran (“to twirl, stir”). Compare twirl, thirl, and Swedish trilla, Norwegian trille, etc.
verb trills · trilling · trilled
- To twirl.
trill⁴
Where it comes from
Perhaps a blend of true + real, or from keep it real, exhibiting the fill–feel merger.
adjective triller · trillest
- True; respected. All my trill niggas know who be bringin da funk / Lees and shell toes like it's Black History Month
Thesaurus
verb
Similar: roll
Translations
Every language
noun rapid alternation of notes
| Español | trino |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 트릴 teuril |
| 日本語 | 顫音 sen'on, トリル toriru |
| 中文 | 顫音 /颤音 chànyīn |
| Português | trilo, trino, trinado |
| Français | trille |
| Deutsch | Triller |
| Italiano | trillo |
| Русский | трель trelʹ |
| Tiếng Việt | láy rền |
| العربية | تَكْرِير takrīr |
| עברית | סִלְסוּל silsúl |
noun vibrating consonant
| Español | vibrante, vibrante múltiple |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 전동음 jeondong'eum |
| 日本語 | 震え音 furueon, 顫動音 sendōon |
| 中文 | 顫音 /颤音 chànyīn |
| Português | vibrante |
| Français | consonne roulée |
| Deutsch | Vibrant |
| Italiano | consonante vibrante, trillo |
| Ελληνικά | πολυπαλλόμενο polypallómeno |
| Română | consoană vibrantă |
| Русский | вибри́рующий согла́сный vibrírujuščij soglásnyj |
| עברית | עיצורים מורעדים |
Talk about this word "trill." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/trill. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. trill. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/trill "trill." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/trill.Cite this
@misc{trill_2026,
title = {trill},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/trill},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
