Definition of "warble"

warble¹

/ˈwɔɹbl̩/

verb
third-person singular simple present warbles, present participle warbling, simple past and past participle warbled
1. (transitive) To modulate a tone's frequency.
2. (transitive) To sing like a bird, especially with trills.
  Quotations
  Her voice more sweet than warbling sound,Tho’ sung by nightingale or lark,Her eyes such lustre dart around,Compar’d to them the sun is dark.
  a. 1722, Matthew Prior, “Non Pareil”, in H. Bunker Wright, Monroe K. Spears, editors, The Literary Works of Matthew Prior, Second edition, volume I, Oxford: Clarendon Press, published 1971, page 683
3. (transitive) To cause to quaver or vibrate.
  Quotations
  touch the warbled string
  1634, John Milton, “Arcades”, in Poems of Mr. John Milton, […], London: […] Ruth Raworth for Humphrey Mosely, […], published 1646
4. (intransitive) To be quavered or modulated; to be uttered melodiously.
  Quotations
  The wailings of a maiden I recite, / A maiden fair, that Sparabella hight. / Such ſtrains ne'er warble in the linnet's throat, / Nor the gay goldfinch chaunts ſo ſweet a note, [...]
  1714, J[ohn] Gay, “Wednesday; or, The Dumps”, in The Shepherd’s Week. In Six Pastorals, London: […] R. Burleigh […], page 21
noun
countable and uncountable, plural warbles
1. The sound of one who warbles; singing with trills or modulations.
2. (military) In naval mine warfare, the process of varying the frequency of sound produced by a narrowband noisemaker to ensure that the frequency to which the mine will respond is covered.

warble²

/ˈwɔɹbl̩/

noun
plural warbles
1. A lesion under the skin of cattle, caused by the larva of a bot fly of genus Hypoderma.
2. A small hard swelling on a horse's back, caused by the galling of the saddle.

Definition of "warble"

warble1

verb

Quotations

Quotations

Quotations

noun

warble2

noun

warble¹

warble²