as in accent
the attractive quality of speech or music that rises and falls in a pleasing pattern
There was a charming lilt to her voice. a tune with a lilt
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of lilt
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, The Athletic, 28 July 2024
Higher quality wines are layered and complex with aromas and flavors that include bread dough, brioche, nuttiness and a creamy caramel/toffee/butterscotch lilt that is both remarkably satisfying and begging to be paired with rich food.
—Tom Mullen, Forbes, 24 Nov. 2024
Dennis Romero, NBC News, 16 Mar. 2024
Rides spun in time to lilting carnival music by the Los Angeles composer Daniel Wohl.
—Lauren Herstik Chantal Anderson, New York Times, 18 Dec. 2023
See All Example Sentences for lilt
Noun
His gentle south Welsh lilt has survived a decade in England.
—Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, The Athletic, 28 July 2024
Higher quality wines are layered and complex with aromas and flavors that include bread dough, brioche, nuttiness and a creamy caramel/toffee/butterscotch lilt that is both remarkably satisfying and begging to be paired with rich food.
—Tom Mullen, Forbes, 24 Nov. 2024
Verb
After being rocked by bad weather and mishaps, HMS Tyger continued to lilt, sink and take on water, the National Park Service said.
—Dennis Romero, NBC News, 16 Mar. 2024
Rides spun in time to lilting carnival music by the Los Angeles composer Daniel Wohl.
—Lauren Herstik Chantal Anderson, New York Times, 18 Dec. 2023
See All Example Sentences for lilt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lilt
Noun
-
Trump was Tim Ratliff, Melania pivoted accents and became Victoria, etc.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
13 Apr. 2025
-
This two-person style includes a café table and two folding chairs made from sturdy acacia wood and textured rope accents.—
Ali Faccenda,
People.com,
11 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
King’s Bohemian Rhapsody, which was about another controversial pop star in Queen’s Freddie Mercury, overcame all obstacles and opened to $51 million stateside and crooned to north of $216M U.S./Canada and $910.8M worldwide with four Oscar wins.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
2 Apr. 2025
-
This is not a musical where senior citizens walk on stage and croon heartily to advise the next generation.—
David John Chávez,
The Mercury News,
2 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
There’s a certain cadence to that that takes months or years.—
Megan Poinski,
Forbes.com,
3 Apr. 2025
-
While Gone Girls does move chronologically through the years of the case, it’s not motivated by an investigative cadence.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
1 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
The whole montage was respectful and gracious, with a classical score, rather than a pop chipmunk warbling a sensitive ballad about dead people.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
3 Mar. 2025
-
Peggy Seeger’s 1957 recording of it is a brisk, warbling take with arpeggiated acoustic guitar — a classic example of the kind of carefree-songbird tunes from the early folk revival.—
Ben Sisario,
New York Times,
24 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
The World Series champion Dodgers (11-5) will hand the ball to Tyler Glasnow, who's still finding his rhythm in the early going.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Apr. 2025
-
One more shot to find rhythm, regain confidence and enter the playoffs with momentum.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
12 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
The world’s second-largest economy continues to face a range of challenges, from job insecurity among the younger generation to sharp downturns in the property sector, once a cornerstone of the country’s economic growth.—
Hassan Tayir,
CNN,
5 Feb. 2025
-
The former president's endorsement process has evolved from haphazard to sharp and effective, rendering all other endorsements all but obsolete.—
Kaleigh Rogers,
ABC News,
13 Sep. 2024
Verb
-
The Knicks settled on running more offense through Anunoby and Bridges, the pair of wings who kept the offense humming with the All-Star and captain out due to injury.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
7 Apr. 2025
-
Rising wages have enabled people to keep spending, which has kept the overall economy humming along.—
Scott Horsley,
NPR,
4 Apr. 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
Cite this Entry
“Lilt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lilt. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share