throbbing

American

[throb-ing] / ˈθrɒb ɪŋ /

adjective

beating or pulsing rapidly or forcefully, as the heart under the influence of emotion or excitement.

One may use a sweet, patient tone and words, but the throbbing vein in the temple betrays one’s anger.
feeling or exhibiting strong emotion or passion.

As he spoke to the students crashing the climate convention, he was clearly thrilled to be there in that throbbing mass of youthful exuberance.
pulsating or vibrating regularly.

The throbbing sound was now at full volume, and it was indeed drums—deep, heavy goatskin drums.
being or feeling pain that occurs in rhythmic waves or bursts.

A sinus infection often results in a throbbing headache.
He pounded on the closed door, but with no effect apart from a throbbing fist.
full of or characterized by lively energy.

This throbbing metropolis is also the world capital of salsa.

noun

the act of beating fast or forcefully, pulsating or vibrating, or occurring in rhythmic waves.

The pain in his shoulder had subsided to a dull throbbing.
Astronomers have measured the throbbing of a sun-like star 24 light-years away.
the act or fact of feeling or exhibiting strong emotion or passion.

The throbbing of my rage was so powerful that the ground trembled.
lively energy.

Feel the throbbing of the world’s cultures at the annual international festival this weekend!

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

throbbings

plural

Etymology

Origin of throbbing

First recorded in 1400–50; throb ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses; throb ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. ) for the noun senses

Explanation

If something's pulsing like a heartbeat, it's throbbing. When you stop and catch your breath after a long run, you might hear your throbbing pulse in your ears. An injury that's throbbing with pain pounds with regular beats: "I have a throbbing headache." Music is often described as throbbing too, beating and pounding with deep bass notes from a club or a car — or maybe your ceiling is vibrating with the throbbing music your upstairs neighbors are playing. To throb is to pulsate, and experts guess the word itself stems from the sound and feeling of pulsating blood.

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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.

"A bit like me with the Throbbing Gristle records, actually."

From BBC • Jun. 7, 2025

The gig also featured members of Throbbing Gristle and Fad Gadget.

From The Guardian • May 18, 2020

Dubbing it “industrial music” in 1975, they and collaborator Cosey Fanni Tutti founded Throbbing Gristle in London with Chris Carter and Peter Christopherson.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 15, 2020

Shortly afterwards, Genesis and Tutti branched out to form Throbbing Gristle with Peter "Sleazy" Christopherson, releasing their debut album The Second Annual Report in 1977.

From BBC • Mar. 14, 2020

Throbbing with anger I followed, listening as he called personnel.

From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023