throb
Americanverb (used without object)
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throbs,
present (3rd person singular)
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throbbed,
past participle, past
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throbbing
present participle
noun
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throbs
plural
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the act of throbbing.
-
a violent beat or pulsation, as of the heart.
-
any pulsation or vibration.
the throb of engines.
verb
-
to pulsate or beat repeatedly, esp with increased force
to throb with pain
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(of engines, drums, etc) to have a strong rhythmic vibration or beat
noun
Synonym Usage
See pulsate.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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throbsimple
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throbssimple
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have throbbedperfect
-
has throbbedperfect
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am throbbingprogressive
-
are throbbingprogressive
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is throbbingprogressive
-
have been throbbingperfect progressive
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has been throbbingperfect progressive
Past
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throbbedsimple
-
had throbbedperfect
-
was throbbingprogressive
-
were throbbingprogressive
-
had been throbbingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of throb
First recorded in 1325–75; unattested Middle English throbben, implied in present participle throbbant “throbbing”; further origin unknown
Explanation
Things that throb have a strong, regular pulse or rhythm. Loud music with a heavy beat or bass line can seem to throb inside your head — especially if your downstairs neighbors are playing it while you're trying to sleep. Your heartbeat throbs especially fast when you're upset or just after you've been running, and something painful can throb too, like the ache of a stubbed toe. No one's exactly sure where the word throb comes from — most experts guess that it originated as a representation of the sound and feeling of your pulse.
Vocabulary lists containing throb
That Hurts! Synonyms for "Pain"
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Dear Martin
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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.
See Examples For:
That’s not to say, given the setting and the setup, which betokens tragedy as surely as Romeo meeting Juliet, it doesn’t throb with tension, let’s say, three-quarters of the time.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026
The braggadocious “Helicopter” has a piercing throb like a car alarm, while “Stole Ya Flow”—a diss track apparently addressed to Drake—has a curling and distorted drone winding through it, a rattlesnake-like warning.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 20, 2026
Emma was about 11 when her legs started to feel heavy and throb and said they started to grow bigger.
From BBC ● Feb. 18, 2025
The look and smell of the liquid made my head throb.
From Salon ● Dec. 16, 2023
It worked and worked faster: I felt the pulses throb in my head and temples; but for nearly an hour it worked in chaos; and no result came of its efforts.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
The production, co-created and directed by Moisés Kaufman, throbs with lip-synchable pop hits of such eclectic range that the dance club energy eventually ensnares everybody.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2024
Such waves can be detected in the way the star’s light pulses and throbs.
From Science Magazine ● Dec. 13, 2023
My heart throbs in my jaw: so close.
From Slate ● Apr. 29, 2023
Its story is told through its throbs of tumult, daunting hurdles, spirited triumphs and terrible tragedies.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 12, 2022
My head throbs as my imagination dashes here and there, trying to find him safe haven.
From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez
Her head throbbed every time she looked at a computer screen for too long.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
Guitars wailed and drums throbbed behind her as part of a set with her bandmates during a recent show.
From Seattle Times ● May 19, 2024
As we said our farewells, my head throbbed from taking in so much knowledge.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2023
"You could walk through the middle of the garden on a sunny day, and it throbbed with that sound of insects," he says.
From BBC ● Apr. 28, 2022
The vein at the base of Jawad Sahib’s neck throbbed.
From "Amal Unbound" by Aisha Saeed
The song holds next to none of the grinding desire throbbing through most of The Artist’s oeuvre.
From Salon ● Feb. 14, 2026
So what to do about your underwhelming past lovers, your Pisces Venusian yearning, your throbbing heart, your efforts to prepare yourself to love from the most whole place you possibly can?
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 13, 2026
He is a throbbing mass of malevolence, turned up — to reference Reiner’s “This Is Spinal Tap” — to 11.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 17, 2025
The plastic symmetry of “Battleship Potemkin,” its humanity, and its throbbing power still command respect, and Sergei Eisenstein endures as the finest film editor the world has seen.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 12, 2025
If my eye weren’t throbbing and puffing up and I weren’t so full of dread, the moment would be kind of funny.
From "Popcorn" by Rob Harrell
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
