convulse
Americanverb (used with object)
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to shake violently; agitate.
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to cause to shake violently with laughter, anger, pain, etc.
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to cause to suffer violent, spasmodic contractions of the muscles.
verb
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(tr) to shake or agitate violently
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(tr) to cause (muscles) to undergo violent spasms or contractions
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informal to shake or be overcome (with violent emotion, esp laughter)
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(tr) to disrupt the normal running of (a country, etc)
student riots have convulsed India
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of convulse
First recorded in 1635–45; from Latin convulsus, past participle of convellere “to shatter, tear loose,” equivalent to con- intensive prefix + vul- (variant stem of vellere “to pull, tear”) + -sus, variant of -tus past participle suffix; see con-
Explanation
To convulse is to have spasms. Get help immediately if you see someone convulse. This medical condition can be brought on by something simple (like a rise in body temperature) or something more complicated, such as epilepsy. In addition to being a symptom of a medical condition, to convulse is often applied to people shaking with laughter. So if you go to a club and see a hilarious comedian, you may convulse with laughter so hard that you might cry, or not be able to catch your breath, and your sides hurt.
Vocabulary lists containing convulse
The Lingo of Body Language
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Hatchet
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"The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak, Part Four
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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.
Oil markets could convulse if Tehran disrupted Gulf shipping.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 22, 2026
Then Hipolito’s body began to convulse — a possible seizure.
From Salon • Jan. 14, 2026
I’m well past that point; some of his stories and novels I’ve read dozens, even hundreds of times, and they can still make me convulse in laughter.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 18, 2025
The development is the latest in the controversy surrounding the governor, Riad Salameh, who is being investigated for corruption as an economic meltdown and financial collapse convulse the tiny Mediterranean nation.
From Seattle Times • Dec. 9, 2022
A random shiver goes through my body, making me convulse for a second; then it’s gone.
From "Popcorn" by Rob Harrell
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.
