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Showing results for quiver. Search instead for quiverers.
Synonyms

quiver

1 American  
[kwiv-er] / ˈkwɪv ər /

verb (used with or without object)

  1. to shake with a slight but rapid motion; vibrate tremulously; tremble.

    Synonyms:
    shiver, shudder, quake, quake

noun

  1. the act or state of quivering; a tremble or tremor.

    Synonyms:
    shake, shiver, shudder
quiver 2 American  
[kwiv-er] / ˈkwɪv ər /

noun

  1. a case for holding or carrying arrows.

  2. the arrows in such a case.

quiver 1 British  
/ ˈkwɪvə /

verb

  1. (intr) to shake with a rapid tremulous movement; tremble

"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

noun

  1. the state, process, or noise of shaking or trembling

"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
quiver 2 British  
/ ˈkwɪvə /

noun

  1. a case for arrows

"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

Related Words

See shake.

Other Word Forms

  • quiverer noun
  • quivering adjective
  • quiveringly adverb
  • quivery adjective
  • unquivered adjective

Etymology

Origin of quiver1

First recorded in 1480–90; origin uncertain; compare Middle Dutch quiveren “to tremble”

Origin of quiver2

1250–1300; Middle English < Anglo-French quiveir, variant of Old French quivre; perhaps < Germanic; compare Old English cocer quiver

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.

As Pierce sees it, a 10% cap is “one of the few arrows left in the quiver for the White House really struggling to address the affordability crisis.”

From MarketWatch • Mar. 19, 2026

What is it about a title like “Neighbors” that sends a little quiver up one’s spine?

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 12, 2026

The Cidara acquisition adds another medicine to the Merck quiver.

From Barron's • Nov. 14, 2025

I wondered if those who have committed to rebuilding will quiver, or have flashbacks, when the first nearby wildfire sends smoke wafting across Altadena.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 12, 2025

Kermit’s lip started to quiver, and his eyes welled with tears.

From Full of Beans by Jennifer L. Holm

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.