- Lionel. 1905–75, US literary critic, whose works include The Liberal Imagination (1950) and Sincerity and Authenticity (1974)
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
Tril•ling
(tril′ing),USA pronunciation n.
- Lionel, 1905–75, U.S. critic and author.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
Trilling /ˈtrɪlɪŋ/ n
trill1 /trɪl/USA pronunciation
n. [countable]
v.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- Music and Dancea rapid alternation between two nearby musical tones.
- a similar quavering sound, as that made by a bird or by a person laughing.
v.
- Music and Danceto sing, make, pronounce, or play with a trill: [~ + object]to trill a few notes.[no object]birds trilling in the morning.
trill1 (tril),USA pronunciation
v.t.
v.i.
n.
trill2 (tril),USA pronunciation Archaic., v.i.
v.t.
- to sing or play with a vibratory or quavering effect.
- [Phonet.]to produce (a sound) with a trill.
- (of birds, insects, etc.) to sing or utter in a succession of rapidly alternating sounds.
v.i.
- to resound vibrantly, or with a rapid succession of sounds, as the voice, song, or laughter.
- to utter or make a sound or succession of sounds resembling such singing, as a bird, frog, grasshopper, or person laughing.
- to execute a shake or trill with the voice or on a musical instrument.
- [Phonet.]to execute a trill, esp. with the tongue, as while singing, talking, or whistling.
n.
- the act or sound of trilling.
- [Music.]a rapid alternation of two adjacent tones;
a shake. - a similar sound, or succession of sounds, uttered or made by a bird, an insect, a person laughing, etc.
- [Phonet.]
- a sequence of repetitive, rapid, vibratory movements produced in any free articulator or membrane by a rush of air expelled from the lungs and often causing a corresponding sequence of contacts between the vibrating articulator and another organ or surface.
- a speech sound produced by such a trill.
- Italian trillo quaver or warble in singing
Gmc; compare Dutch trillen to vibrate, late Middle English trillen to shake or rock (something) - 1635–45
trill2 (tril),USA pronunciation Archaic., v.i.
- to flow in a thin stream;
trickle.
v.t.
- to cause to flow in a thin stream.
- Old Danish trijlæ to roll (said, e.g., of tears and of a wheelbarrow); compare Norwegian trille, Swedish trilla. See trill1
- Middle English trillen to make (something) turn, to roll, flow (said of tears, water) 1300–50
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
trill /trɪl/ n
- a melodic ornament consisting of a rapid alternation between a principal note and the note a whole tone or semitone above it
- a shrill warbling sound, esp as made by some birds
- the production of a similar effect using the uvula against the back of the tongue
- to sound, sing, or play (a trill or with a trill)
- (transitive) to pronounce (an (r) sound) by the production of a trill
trill /trɪl/ vb , n
an archaic or poetic word for trickle
'Trilling' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):