26984 words

trill

7 definitions • 7 examples
1
When birds trill, they sing a series of quickly repeated high notes.
2
to speak in a very high voice:

Examples:

[ + speech ] "I'll be right down!" trilled Daphne.
3
to play a note and the note above or below it, one after the other, fast several times:

Examples:

They trill on a diminished harmony, resolved with a leap.
All three voices swoop down to a trilled dominant and a final cadence.
4
(the effect achieved by) the fast playing of a note and the note above or below it, one after the other:

Examples:

The piece starts with a long trill on the clarinet.
Trills were known as shakes until the early 20th century.
5
a series of quickly repeated high notes sung by a bird:

Examples:

We heard the familiar trill of the lark.
6
a sound that is made by very small, quick movements of one of the organs used in speech
7
a series of quickly repeated high notes such as those sung by a bird

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