throb
Americanverb (used without object)
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throbs,
present (3rd person singular)
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throbbed,
past participle, past
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throbbing
present participle
noun
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throbs
plural
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the act of throbbing.
-
a violent beat or pulsation, as of the heart.
-
any pulsation or vibration.
the throb of engines.
verb
-
to pulsate or beat repeatedly, esp with increased force
to throb with pain
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(of engines, drums, etc) to have a strong rhythmic vibration or beat
noun
Synonym Usage
See pulsate.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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throbsimple
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throbssimple
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have throbbedperfect
-
has throbbedperfect
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am throbbingprogressive
-
are throbbingprogressive
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is throbbingprogressive
-
have been throbbingperfect progressive
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has been throbbingperfect progressive
Past
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throbbedsimple
-
had throbbedperfect
-
was throbbingprogressive
-
were throbbingprogressive
-
had been throbbingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of throb
First recorded in 1325–75; unattested Middle English throbben, implied in present participle throbbant “throbbing”; further origin unknown
Explanation
Things that throb have a strong, regular pulse or rhythm. Loud music with a heavy beat or bass line can seem to throb inside your head — especially if your downstairs neighbors are playing it while you're trying to sleep. Your heartbeat throbs especially fast when you're upset or just after you've been running, and something painful can throb too, like the ache of a stubbed toe. No one's exactly sure where the word throb comes from — most experts guess that it originated as a representation of the sound and feeling of your pulse.
Vocabulary lists containing throb
That Hurts! Synonyms for "Pain"
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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:
That’s not to say, given the setting and the setup, which betokens tragedy as surely as Romeo meeting Juliet, it doesn’t throb with tension, let’s say, three-quarters of the time.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026
They are deep enough to create a distant shore of the imagination, where readers can live as castaways from cable news, TikTok and the dull throb of the ordinary.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
And so the throb of pain continues to course through her.
From BBC ● May 7, 2025
The look and smell of the liquid made my head throb.
From Salon ● Dec. 16, 2023
He stands and pulls me to my feet, which makes my wounded shoulder throb.
From "Insurgent" by Veronica Roth
The production, co-created and directed by Moisés Kaufman, throbs with lip-synchable pop hits of such eclectic range that the dance club energy eventually ensnares everybody.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2024
Such waves can be detected in the way the star’s light pulses and throbs.
From Science Magazine ● Dec. 13, 2023
My heart throbs in my jaw: so close.
From Slate ● Apr. 29, 2023
But that’s OK, since van den Brink’s film throbs with suspense and lobs oddball scares, like an uncanny scene in which Betriek encounters a possessed kid in an elevator.
From New York Times ● Jul. 22, 2022
My head throbs, and I feel woozy from exerting myself.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
Her head throbbed every time she looked at a computer screen for too long.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
But while Kyrgios said his wrist "throbbed" after the Brisbane comeback, it was quickly clear it was the abdominal issue hampering him against Fearnley.
From BBC ● Jan. 13, 2025
Guitars wailed and drums throbbed behind her as part of a set with her bandmates during a recent show.
From Seattle Times ● May 19, 2024
Over the next few days my hand and wrist throbbed to the point of distraction.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 6, 2022
His finger might as well have been searing embers, as the large bump on his head throbbed against the touch.
From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young
That moment came in 2008, with a crash and a long, throbbing hangover.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026
He is a throbbing mass of malevolence, turned up — to reference Reiner’s “This Is Spinal Tap” — to 11.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 17, 2025
The plastic symmetry of “Battleship Potemkin,” its humanity, and its throbbing power still command respect, and Sergei Eisenstein endures as the finest film editor the world has seen.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 12, 2025
Researchers here are developing the extraordinarily sounding "organ-on-a-chip" technology, conjuring up alarming images of throbbing brains and beating hearts sitting on top of electronic circuits.
From BBC ● Nov. 11, 2025
Which is why, instead of giving into the god-awful throbbing pain in my right shoulder, I channel it—using the pain as a tool to sharpen my focus.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
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.
