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
Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 5 Sep. 2024
While peeing and watching an OnlyFans video (likely that of his coworker Sweetpea) with his baby strapped to his torso, Christmas music lilts in the background, as a drop of blood from Rishi’s nose hits his baby’s cheek.
—Kerensa Cadenas, IndieWire, 1 Sep. 2024
Hajar Harb, Washington Post, 17 Nov. 2023
Sauvé is extremely soft-spoken, her slight Quebecois accent lilting over the crowd’s hush.
—Cameron Cook, Pitchfork, 7 Nov. 2023
See all Example Sentences for lilt 
Noun
Fanning has a ball as the snooty and condescending Abby, who cloaks all her insults with a sing-song lilt and a sunny smile.
—Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 5 Sep. 2024
While peeing and watching an OnlyFans video (likely that of his coworker Sweetpea) with his baby strapped to his torso, Christmas music lilts in the background, as a drop of blood from Rishi’s nose hits his baby’s cheek.
—Kerensa Cadenas, IndieWire, 1 Sep. 2024
Verb
Their small sounds and snuffles were barely audible above the lilting bleeps of incubators in the neonatal ward.
—Hajar Harb, Washington Post, 17 Nov. 2023
Sauvé is extremely soft-spoken, her slight Quebecois accent lilting over the crowd’s hush.
—Cameron Cook, Pitchfork, 7 Nov. 2023
See all Example Sentences for lilt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lilt
Noun
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Most of all, the cast this season is superb, with an incredible level of talent, memorable personalities and delightful accents.Meredith Blake, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2024
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Khurana accessorized with emerald jewelry by KK Jewels, while the bridal party incorporated elements of pink into their looks and the groom’s side had accents of green, to make both elements of Khurana’s outfit shine.Alice Newbold, Vogue, 4 Nov. 2024
Verb
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The cashier then turned to a pair of singing possums played by Kenan Thompson and Ego Nwodim, crooning The Lion King-style about how the milk comes from… well, a possum’s teat.Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 2 Nov. 2024
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Gaga croons gently, letting the lyric speak for itself.Kristen S. Hé, Vulture, 25 Oct. 2024
Noun
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Rutting bucks have a marching cadence that sounds different than a doe or squirrel.Michael Hanback, Outdoor Life, 7 Nov. 2024
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Like so many streaming-era documentaries, the picture effectively opens with a trailer for itself, briefly previewing its main points before settling into a by-now familiar cadence of bland insights, light historical context, and obvious music cues.Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 1 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Rita also sings a variety of jazz standards, and in one early scene, brings a crowd to tears warbling an original tune for her 9-year-old son (Elliott Heffernan).Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 3 Oct. 2024
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This is the iconic horror baddie he was meant to play, a deeply unnerving dollmaker who warbles with musical malevolence, confounds the law with his Zodiac-like ciphers, and lives for glam rock and killing sprees.Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 11 July 2024
Noun
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An overactive thyroid can speed up heart rate and cause irregular heart rhythms.Alexandria Nyembwe, PhD, RN, Health, 4 Nov. 2024
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This story of a man (Hanks) who decides to kill himself by throwing himself into a volcano before being interrupted by a series of increasingly odd events has its own goofy rhythm that Hanks steadies and smooths out, though maybe a little too much.Tim Grierson, Vulture, 2 Nov. 2024
Verb
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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
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That included everything from off-center parts at Simone Rocha to sharp, contrasting textures at KNWLS.India Espy-Jones, Essence, 21 Sep. 2023
Verb
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Others volunteer to water plants, write a weekly newsletter, launder aprons, check on members who haven’t shown up in a while, and shoulder other tasks needed to keep the clubhouse humming.Emily Alpert Reyes, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2024
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The question is whether the Fed can help keep the economy out of a recession now that it’s begun cutting interest rates to keep the job market humming.Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2024
Verb
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Any minute now, the mockingbird will trill at me to go to bed.Edan Lepucki, The Atlantic, 12 July 2024
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At dawn, cooing doves and trilling Eurasian blackbirds woke me.Nina Burleigh, New York Times, 21 May 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Lilt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lilt. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
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