quivering

American

[kwiv-uh-ring] / ˈkwɪv ə rɪŋ /

adjective

trembling or shaking with a slight, rapid motion, or seeming to tremble or shake.

The sun climbed higher and movement ceased: over the whole summit, figures lay still in the quivering heat.
Forty hertz is really fast, like the quivering light from a faulty fluorescent bulb.

noun

an act or instance of shaking with a slight but rapid motion.

The quivering in the heart upsets the normal rhythm between the atria and the lower parts of the heart, the ventricles.

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of quivering

First recorded in 1530–40; quiver ¹ ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. ) for the adjective; quiver ¹ ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. ) for the noun

Explanation

Quivering means trembling. If your dog begins quivering with fear whenever someone knocks on your door, he's not much use as a guard dog. When something's shaking gently, like a candle flame shivering slightly in a breeze, you can describe it as quivering. On a windy day, you might see the leaves of trees or the ruffled feathers of a bird quivering in the wind. There are a few theories about the origin of the word quivering including the possibility that the word quiver was developed onomatopoeically — or creating a word that sounds like its meaning, like a vibrating kind of shiver.

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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.

See Examples For:

quivering

Anthropic was quivering at the capabilities of their model in a blog post promoting their new security measures.

From Salon ● Sep. 12, 2026

After returning from her final visit to Saudi Arabia, Korkejian wrote album opener “On My Own” — a piano ballad cradled by a quivering Mellotron as a full band gradually gathers around her.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026

Through evocative descriptions—the skylark’s trill “hovering in the quivering air,” or the sun rising over a “silvery, dew-thick cow meadow”—Ms. Haynes invites us to take part in the daily rhythms of our natural world.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026

"Cathy and Heathcliff's passions vibrate through their dress, their surroundings, and everything else within reach, and you leave the cinema quivering on their own private frequency."

From BBC ● Feb. 10, 2026