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Definition of "warble" []

  • To sing (a note or song, for example) with trills, runs, or other melodic embellishments. (verb-transitive)
  • To sing with trills, runs, or quavers. (verb-intransitive)
  • To be sounded in a trilling or quavering manner. (verb-intransitive)
  • The act or an instance of singing with trills, runs, or quavers. (noun)
  • An abscessed boillike swelling on the back of cattle, deer, and certain other animals, caused by the larva of a warble fly. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "warble" in a sentence
  • "They were jubilant that they'd caught somebody, but I couldn't tell if the warble was a victory salute or a sign of even worse things to come."
  • "Perceiving that we are watching him the grosbeak ceases his ringing tones and drops into that dreamy, soft, melodious warble, which is characteristic of this songster as it is of the catbird."
  • "I address my comment to you as I understand what "warble" was trying to say."