convulsion

American  

[kuhn-vuhl-shuhn] / kənˈvʌl ʃən /

noun

• convulsions
  plural

1. contortion of the body caused by violent, involuntary muscular contractions of the extremities, trunk, and head.

2. violent agitation or disturbance; commotion.

3. an outburst of great, uncontrollable laughter.

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convulsion British  

/ kənˈvʌlʃən /

noun

1. a violent involuntary contraction of a muscle or muscles

2. a violent upheaval, disturbance, or agitation, esp a social one

3. informal (usually plural) uncontrollable laughter

   I was in convulsions

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convulsion Cultural  

1. A severe, often violent involuntary contraction of the muscles. Convulsions may be caused by high fevers or poisoning and often accompany such diseases such as epilepsy.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• convulsionary
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• convulsions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of convulsion

First recorded in 1575–85, convulsion is from the Latin word convulsiōn- (stem of convulsiō ). See convulse, -ion

Explanation

If you see someone have a convulsion, it can either be scary or funny, depending on whether it's caused by a medical condition or a really funny joke. A convulsion is a jerking, uncontrolled movement. When a person has a convulsion, it appears as a sudden, violent movement of the body. Convulsions most often happen as a result of a medical condition or illness like epilepsy, but you can also describe a jerky, irregular movement as a convulsion, even if it's caused by hiccups or laughter. A political upheaval or social turmoil can also be called a convulsion, if it's abrupt and violent. The Latin root word is convulsionem, which means "to tear loose."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

convulsion convulsions

What they couldn’t know at the time was that a major convulsion was coming for the golf world: LIV’s funding was about to evaporate.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026

The remaining two recordings were triggered by sound or motion, but only one suggested that a muscle convulsion, a sign of seizure, had occurred.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 4, 2024

In the middle of this convulsion, Ms. de Bonafini’s life was turned upside down.

From New York Times ● Nov. 22, 2022

The two doctors claim "the typical observation on video are confirmed loss of consciousness, suspected loss of consciousness, convulsion, tonic posturing, balance disturbance/ataxia and clearly dazed".

From BBC ● Mar. 7, 2022

Around us, men slept upon the ground, or with subtle convulsion, approached the small fires.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson

"They are not particularly dangerous, you're not at risk of hurting yourself or anyone else. My convulsions are very rare, I have maybe three or four a year, they don't massively impact my life."

From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026

His company may emerge from today’s pinball-like experience still needing a strategy to survive and prosper on its own amid the entertainment industry’s streaming and artificial-intelligence convulsions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 26, 2025

Novo has suffered repeated convulsions amid a dramatic selloff that has sent shares down by more than 60% since the middle of last year.

From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2025

A more severe and concerning case can cause neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss, numbness, or paralysis.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 24, 2025

The more distant circles of the hall kept up their convulsions, but the central one had altogether frozen.

From "The Inquisitor's Tale" by Adam Gidwitz

Related Words

• contraction
• cramp
• paroxysm
• seizure
• tremor