convulse

[kuh n-vuhls]

verb (used with object), con·vulsed, con·vuls·ing.

to shake violently; agitate.
to cause to shake violently with laughter, anger, pain, etc.
to cause to suffer violent, spasmodic contractions of the muscles.

Origin of convulse

1635–45; < Latin convulsus past participle of convellere to shatter, tear loose, equivalent to con- con- + vul- (variant stem of vellere to pull, tear) + -sus, variant of -tus past participle suffix

Related formscon·vuls·ed·ly, adverbcon·vuls·i·ble, adjectivecon·vuls·i·bil·i·ty, nounun·con·vulsed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for convulsing

torment, disturb, unsettle, shake, bother, writhe, agitate, rock, stir

Examples from the Web for convulsing

Contemporary Examples of convulsing

The haunting video shows apparent victims, including children, convulsing and foaming at the mouth.
Six Chilling Moments from Charlie Rose’s Assad Interview (VIDEO)
Ben Teitelbaum
September 9, 2013
I turned to look at the building that I had just run out of; it was convulsing uncontrollably.
My Earthquake Experience in Tokyo
Andrew Pateras
March 11, 2011
His girlfriend told CBS Sacramento that he was “convulsing, snorting, trying to breathe.”
'Twilight: Breaking Dawn' Seizures & More Movies That Can Kill (VIDEO)
The Daily Beast Video
November 8, 2010

Historical Examples of convulsing

There was a blaze of fire, and a half a dozen Dusties slid to the ground, convulsing.
Image of the Gods
Alan Edward Nourse
And while I was convulsing myself in vain, the train started!
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 17, No. 102, April, 1866
Various
In Glanville it was the mind governing and convulsing the body.
Pelham, Complete
Edward Bulwer-Lytton
Then he would take the floor and soon would have them convulsing with merriment.
Birth of a Reformation
Andrew Byers
So rigid was his self-control that he gave no other sign of the passion that was convulsing him.
The Terms of Surrender
Louis Tracy

British Dictionary definitions for convulsing

convulse

verb

(tr) to shake or agitate violently
(tr) to cause (muscles) to undergo violent spasms or contractions
(intr often foll by with) informal to shake or be overcome (with violent emotion, esp laughter)
(tr) to disrupt the normal running of (a country, etc)student riots have convulsed India

Derived Formsconvulsive, adjectiveconvulsively, adverbconvulsiveness, noun

Word Origin for convulse

C17: from Latin convulsus, from convellere to tear up, from vellere to pluck, pull

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for convulsing

convulse

1640s, transitive; 1680s, intransitive; from Latin convulsus, past participle of convellere (transitive only) "to pull away, to pull this way and that, wrench," hence "to weaken, overthrow, destroy" (see convulsion). Related: Convulsed (1630s); convulsing.

convulsing in Medicine

convulse

[kən-vŭls′]

To affect or be affected with irregular and involuntary muscular contractions; throw or be thrown into convulsions.