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Synonyms

throb

American  
[throb] / θrɒb /

verb (used without object)

throbbed, throbbing

  1. to beat with increased force or rapidity, as the heart under the influence of emotion or excitement; palpitate.

  2. to feel or exhibit emotion.

    He throbbed at the happy thought.

  3. to pulsate; vibrate.

    The cello throbbed.

noun

  1. the act of throbbing.

  2. a violent beat or pulsation, as of the heart.

  3. any pulsation or vibration.

    the throb of engines.
throb British  
/ θrɒb /

verb

  1. to pulsate or beat repeatedly, esp with increased force

    to throb with pain

  2. (of engines, drums, etc) to have a strong rhythmic vibration or beat

"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 act or an instance of throbbing, esp a rapid pulsation as of the heart

    a throb of pleasure
"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 pulsate.

Other Word Forms

  • outthrob verb (used with object)
  • throbber noun
  • throbbing adjective
  • throbbingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of throb

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

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.

The braggadocious “Helicopter” has a piercing throb like a car alarm, while “Stole Ya Flow”—a diss track apparently addressed to Drake—has a curling and distorted drone winding through it, a rattlesnake-like warning.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 20, 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

A new scene opens on a translucent blob with twisty veins that seems to throb, which is revealed to be a portion of a voluminous, sheer sleeve.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 5, 2023

His tongue was grisly, the throb and sting seeming to fill his head.

From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor

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.