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
Synonym Usage
See shake.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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tremblesimple
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tremblessimple
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have trembledperfect
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has trembledperfect
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are tremblingprogressive
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am tremblingprogressive
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is tremblingprogressive
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have been tremblingperfect progressive
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has been tremblingperfect progressive
Past
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trembledsimple
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had trembledperfect
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was tremblingprogressive
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were tremblingprogressive
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had been tremblingperfect progressive
Future
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
Explanation
To tremble is to quiver or shake without meaning to. Your hands probably tremble when you're nervous. Trembling is a movement, but it's not one that anyone intends to make. Someone who is extremely scared or cold might tremble all over. Older people tend to tremble more often than younger people, sometimes because of serious disorders like Parkinson's disease. The root word of tremble is the Latin tremulus, "trembling or tremulous." Certain honey bees perform a wiggly, shivering movement called a "tremble dance," which scientists believe inspires speedier nectar collection.
Vocabulary lists containing tremble
"The People Could Fly," Vocabulary from the folk tale
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David Bowie (1947-2016) Tribute List
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Excerpt from "The Diary of Anne Frank"
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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.
A third-down pass over the middle to tight end Tommy Tremble also fell incomplete under coverage from safety Ryan Neal.
From Seattle Times • Dec. 11, 2022
Tremble feels as if Tepper will eventually listen to the players, although it could take time.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 14, 2022
Darnold capped the drive with a 7-yard TD pass to Robby Anderson and threw a shovel pass to Tommy Tremble for the 2-point conversion to tie the game at 28 with 42 seconds left.
From Fox News • Oct. 17, 2021
Carolina tight ends Ian Thomas and Tommy Tremble were only targeted a combined four times and managed just three catches for 15 yards — all of those by Thomas.
From Seattle Times • Oct. 4, 2021
As soon as Anya appeared, he said, “Behold! Tremble before my power!”
From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack
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.
