quaver
Americanverb (used without object)
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to shake tremulously; quiver or tremble.
He stood there quavering with fear.
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to sound, speak, or sing tremulously.
Her voice quavered a moment and then she regained control.
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to perform trills in singing or on a musical instrument.
verb (used with object)
noun
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a quavering or tremulous shake, especially in the voice.
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a quavering tone or utterance.
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Music (chiefly British). an eighth note.
verb
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to say or sing (something) with a trembling voice
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(intr) (esp of the voice) to quiver, tremble, or shake
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rare (intr) to sing or play quavers or ornamental trills
noun
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Usual US and Canadian name: eighth note. music a note having the time value of an eighth of a semibreve
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a tremulous sound or note
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of quaver
1400–50; late Middle English quaveren (v.), blend of quake and waver 1
Explanation
A quaver is a trembling or shaking sound, especially in a person's voice. When you give your first speech in front of a crowd, don't be surprised to hear a quaver in your voice. The nervous or emotional tremor in a person's speaking voice is one kind of quaver. It's also a primarily British term for an eighth note in music. To quaver can mean both to speak in a trembling voice, or to sing in a similar way, with a little warble or trill. The fifteenth century meaning of quaver is "to tremble or vibrate," and it's related to the earlier cwavien, "to shake," from the Low German word quabbeln, "tremble."
Vocabulary lists containing quaver
Instead of "Said": Words That Sound Like What They Mean
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List 7
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The Call of the Wild
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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.
Crucially, too, Bailey has the set of pipes that every Ariel needs and a gift for modulating her emotions through music, shifting from a rich, confident vibrato one moment to a hesitant quaver the next.
From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2023
There was a quaver in his voice, which defined the depth of his emotion.
From Scientific American • Dec. 23, 2021
Tears sprang to my eyes again, lending a quaver to my voice.
From Slate • Aug. 24, 2019
“For more than 12 years I entrusted Stew with my words and my goals and my reputation and he’s never let me down,” McConnell said as his voice began to quaver.
From Fox News • Mar. 14, 2019
"Thirty-nine minutes, twelve seconds," Johanssen said, trying not to quaver.
From "The Martian" by Andy Weir
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.
