tremble
Americanverb (used without object)
noun
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the act of trembling.
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a state or fit of trembling.
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(used with a singular verb) trembles,
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Pathology. milk sickness.
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Veterinary Pathology. a toxic condition of cattle and sheep caused by the eating of white snakeroot and characterized by muscular tremors.
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verb
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to vibrate with short slight movements; quiver
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to shake involuntarily, as with cold or fear; shiver
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to experience fear or anxiety
noun
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the act or an instance of trembling
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.
