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
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Recent Examples of lilt
Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 14 Jan. 2025
The home was sprinkled with speakers through which Carter’s voice lilts, playing into eternity.
—Laura Carney, People.com, 1 Jan. 2025
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
This region is vast and diverse, with as many variations on our signature lilt as there are preparations of barbecue.
—Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 14 Jan. 2025
The home was sprinkled with speakers through which Carter’s voice lilts, playing into eternity.
—Laura Carney, People.com, 1 Jan. 2025
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
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The Cliffhanger project vehicle is even airier, thanks to the Ford Performance tube doors, which the design team updated with color accents and a unique graphic plate.—
Jamie L. LaReau,
USA Today,
24 Apr. 2025
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The instrument cluster features throwback green digits on the tachometer, accents mirrored on the Sport Chrono stopwatch (on that note, the automaker has created a high-quality chronograph exclusively offered for buyers of the 911 Spirit 70.—
Michael Harley,
Forbes.com,
23 Apr. 2025
Verb
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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
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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
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Speak Differently Academic research and scholarship can seem disconnected from the daily cadence of life for most people.—
Marshall Shepherd,
Forbes.com,
19 Apr. 2025
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All the while, Thibodeau had prepared for a different challenge: an unrelenting road schedule at a grueling cadence.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
15 Apr. 2025
Verb
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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
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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
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Counsell insisted Pressly just needed to get on the mound and would eventually find his rhythm.—
Sahadev Sharma,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2025
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Neither has found their rhythm on that end of the floor, which has limited the Lakers' overall effectiveness.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Apr. 2025
Verb
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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
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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
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President Trump wants to lower those rates to keep the economy humming despite the slowdown his far-reaching tariffs threaten to trigger.—
Laurent Belsie,
Christian Science Monitor,
21 Apr. 2025
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The sun hums the rhythm, the moon sips the bassline.—
Katie Bain,
Billboard,
7 Apr. 2025
Verb
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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
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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 1 May. 2025.
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