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⇱ TREMBLE Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com


tremble

American  
[trem-buhl] / ˈtrɛm bəl /

verb (used without object)

trembled, trembling
  1. to shake involuntarily with quick, short movements, as from fear, excitement, weakness, or cold; quake; quiver.

    Synonyms:
    shudder
  2. to be troubled with fear or apprehension.

  3. (of things) to be affected with vibratory motion.

    Synonyms:
    oscillate
  4. to be tremulous, as light or sound.

    His voice trembled.


noun

  1. the act of trembling.

  2. a state or fit of trembling.

  3. (used with a singular verb) trembles,

    1. Pathology. milk sickness.

    2. Veterinary Pathology. a toxic condition of cattle and sheep caused by the eating of white snakeroot and characterized by muscular tremors.

tremble British  
/ ˈtrɛmbəl /

verb

  1. to vibrate with short slight movements; quiver

  2. to shake involuntarily, as with cold or fear; shiver

  3. to experience fear or anxiety

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. the act or an instance of trembling

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Related Words

See shake.

Other Word Forms

  • trembling adjective
  • tremblingly adverb
  • trembly adjective
  • untrembling adjective
  • untremblingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of tremble

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English trem(b)len (verb), from Old French trembler, from Vulgar Latin *tremulāre, derivative of Latin tremulus tremulous

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

His mouth doesn’t close, his eyebrows stay raised, his hands tremble.

From Salon • Apr. 3, 2026

"You rejoice and cry, and you tremble inside from the emotion -- seeing those eyes that are both sad and joyful and filled with tears," she told AFP during a recent prisoner exchange.

From Barron's • Mar. 18, 2026

Ricki Nash said the news made him "tremble".

From BBC • Oct. 2, 2025

When my car shifts off the tracks, and I switch into drive to exit the lot, my limbs continue to tremble.

From Salon • Jul. 21, 2024

The floor began to tremble beneath my feet, and I felt my knees go weak as a fresh horde of fetterlings charged through the destroyed main entrance.

From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.