tremor

American  

[trem-er, tree-mer] / ˈtrɛm ər, ˈtri mər /

noun

• tremors
  plural

1. involuntary shaking of the body or limbs, as from disease, fear, weakness, or excitement; a fit of trembling.

   Synonyms:

   quiver, shiver, shudder

2. any tremulous or vibratory movement; vibration.

   tremors following an earthquake.

3. a trembling or quivering effect, as of light.

   Synonyms:

   oscillation

4. a quavering sound, as of the voice.

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tremor British  

/ ˈtrɛmə /

noun

1. an involuntary shudder or vibration, as from illness, fear, shock, etc

2. any trembling or quivering movement

3. a vibrating or trembling effect, as of sound or light

4. Also called: earth tremor. a minor earthquake

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verb

1. (intr) to tremble

tremor Scientific  

/ trĕm′ər /

1. A relatively minor seismic shaking or vibrating movement. Tremors often precede larger earthquakes or volcanic eruptions.

2. An involuntary shaking or trembling of the head or extremities that can be idiopathic or associated with any of various medical conditions, such as Parkinson's disease.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• tremorless
  adjective
• tremorous
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• tremors
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of tremor

1325–75; Middle English < Latin: a trembling, equivalent to trem ( ere ) to tremble + -or -or ¹

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Explanation

A tremor is a trembling or shaking in a person or the Earth. If you're scared about speaking in public you might have a tremor in your voice — or wish that an earthquake tremor would open up the floor and swallow you first. If you're nervous or feeling queasy as you read a paper aloud, you might get a tremor in your hands and the paper itself will start to shake. When an earthquake rumbles, a powerful tremor might make a building shake so that it looks as fragile as a piece of paper. Not every tremor comes from fear or seismic activity, though: you can tremor or quiver with excitement as you anticipate something enjoyable.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tremor tremors

The shallow tremor was felt across the Central American nation of around 4.5 million people, according to the National Civil Protection System, and lasted for around a minute.

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026

When he didn’t, instead landing on the injured list for two weeks, Skubal’s smooth transition turned what could have been a shock wave of a loss for the rotation into barely a tremor.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 2026

It is the latest tremor in the world of Big Law, which is being disrupted by aggressive poaching of rainmakers, the pressure of artificial intelligence and less-loyal clients.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

A devastating 9.1-magnitude tremor in 2004 struck off the coast of Sumatra and triggered a tsunami that killed 220,000 throughout the region, about 170,000 of them in Indonesia.

From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026

“It’s vibrating,” Sheed said, his teeth chattering from the tremor running up his arm.

From "The Last Last-Day-of-Summer" by Lamar Giles

Failure of Australia’s largest IPO in decades sends tremors through AI trade.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026

The tremors mimicked a similar selloff earlier this year when financial-technology firm Altruist unveiled a tool that aimed to create personalized tax strategies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026

Our scientist is relieved to discover that most of the unusual tremors are tiny — too weak to have been felt.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026

Residents in various cities and neighborhoods — Crenshaw, Huntington Park, Bell, West Adams, Mid-City, Gardena and more — posted online that they felt the tremors.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026

Everyone seemed to want her opinion—about their burns, their heart tremors, their underweight infants.

From "Educated" by Tara Westover

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Related Words

• earthquake
• shiver
• upheaval
• vibration

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