throb

[ throb ]

See synonyms for: throb throbbed throbbing on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object),throbbed, throb·bing.

to beat with increased force or rapidity, as the heart under the influence of emotion or excitement; palpitate.
to feel or exhibit emotion: He throbbed at the happy thought.

to pulsate; vibrate: The cello throbbed.

noun

the act of throbbing.
a violent beat or pulsation, as of the heart.

any pulsation or vibration: the throb of engines.

Origin of throb

First recorded in 1325–75; unattested Middle English throbben, implied in present participle throbbant “throbbing”; further origin unknown

synonym study For throb

1. See pulsate.

Other words from throb

throb·ber, noun
out·throb, verb (used with object), out·throbbed, out·throb·bing.

Words Nearby throb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use throb in a sentence

Indeed, Solms shows how throbs of pleasure and pain guide our interactions with the world, making it possible for us to navigate a sea of uncertainty.
A brain researcher on what Freud got right | Jess Keiser | February 26, 2021 | Washington Post
Fame came with ER in the mid-1990s and Clooney's role as heart-throb doctor Doug Ross.
Clooney: A Constant Charmer at the Altar | Tim Teeman | September 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
No, it is not Ebola, though the throb of coverage would have it seem so.
Midwest's 'Mystery Virus' Is Scary but Not Deadly | Kent Sepkowitz | September 8, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
But this time, with all his cunning and perspiration, he could not induce another throb in the tired engines.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol | William J. Locke
Could your millions, tea-king, buy for me a sweeter music than the valley's heart throb as it rocks itself to sleep?
The Soldier of the Valley | Nelson Lloyd

Winston felt his pulses throb faster, for the girl's unabated confidence stirred him, but he looked at her gravely.
Winston of the Prairie | Harold Bindloss
The next moment the engine began to throb regularly, and the blades of the propeller whirled.
The Girls of Central High on the Stage | Gertrude W. Morrison
Kari stood and a quiver ran through his muscles and I could see his body throb.
Kari the Elephant | Dhan Gopal Mukerji

British Dictionary definitions for throb

throb

/ (θrɒb) /

verbthrobs, throbbing or throbbed (intr)

to pulsate or beat repeatedly, esp with increased force: to throb with pain
(of engines, drums, etc) to have a strong rhythmic vibration or beat

noun

the act or an instance of throbbing, esp a rapid pulsation as of the heart: a throb of pleasure

Origin of throb

C14: perhaps of imitative origin

Derived forms of throb

throbbing, adjective
throbbingly, adverb

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

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