judder
Americanverb (used without object)
noun
verb
noun
-
abnormal vibration in a mechanical system, esp due to grabbing between friction surfaces, as in the clutch of a motor vehicle
-
a juddering motion
Etymology
Origin of judder
First recorded in 1925–30; origin uncertain; perhaps j(olt) or j(erk) + (sh)udder
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.
When we are out of sync, he says, we experience it as a kind of judder or twinge of social discomfort which “is your brain working a little harder to fix predictions that are wrong.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 22, 2026
AR use was at times visually busy: insects and starbursts appeared tangential to the action, and there were a few instances of slight judder.
From Seattle Times • Jul. 26, 2023
Video quality is fine but not great, and attempting to film in 4K produces some noticeable judder.
From The Verge • Sep. 2, 2022
It is impossible not to be intrigued by all of those possibilities, to feel the slightest judder of anticipation at what is to come.
From New York Times • Nov. 12, 2021
The muted thunder of the plumbing—she had not noticed it begin—ceased with a judder that shook the air.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
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.
