palpitate
Americanverb (used without object)
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to pulsate with unusual rapidity from exertion, emotion, disease, etc.; flutter.
His heart palpitated wildly.
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to pulsate; quiver; throb; tremble.
verb (used with object)
verb
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(of the heart) to beat with abnormal rapidity
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to flutter or tremble
Usage
What does palpitate mean? Palpitate means to pulse, throb, or tremble.The word palpitate is most commonly used in the context of the beating of the heart. When your heart palpitates, it beats more quickly or in a fluttering way.A heart palpitation is an unusually or abnormally rapid or violent beating of the heart. Heart palpitations typically involve the heart beating hard and faster, and they may also involve an irregularity in rhythm.Less commonly, palpitate can mean to make thob or tremble.The noun palpitation can also refer to the act, process, or an instance of palpitating.Example: My doctor said my heart may be palpitating due to a combination of stress and too much caffeine.
Related Words
See pulsate.
Other Word Forms
- palpitant adjective
- palpitatingly adverb
- palpitation noun
- unpalpitating adjective
Etymology
Origin of palpitate
1615–25; < Latin palpitātus, past participle of palpitāre to pulsate, frequentative of palpāre to stroke. See palpus, -ate 1
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.
"I was palpitating. But the second time, I got used to it," she said.
From BBC
“I’m sweating and my heart’s palpitating and all those things because I’m conditioned to be in that environment and go perform,” Baldwin said.
From Seattle Times
In a career defined by blurring borders, this was less a plot twist than a quick spotlight on an underappreciated character: body music that keeps the heart palpitating.
From New York Times
The bronze chandeliers’ gas jets produced a softly palpitating glow, casting pools of light across the polished oak floor.
From Literature
“The excitement was palpitating,” she said, “like, ‘We can’t wait till the next chapter.
From Washington Post
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.
