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Synonyms

tremble

American  
[trem-buhl] / ˈtrɛm bəl /

verb (used without object)

trembled, trembling

  1. to shake involuntarily with quick, short movements, as from fear, excitement, weakness, or cold; quake; quiver.

    Synonyms:
    shudder

  2. to be troubled with fear or apprehension.

  3. (of things) to be affected with vibratory motion.

    Synonyms:
    oscillate

  4. to be tremulous, as light or sound.

    His voice trembled.

noun

  1. the act of trembling.

  2. a state or fit of trembling.

  3. (used with a singular verb) trembles,

    1. Pathology. milk sickness.

    2. Veterinary Pathology. a toxic condition of cattle and sheep caused by the eating of white snakeroot and characterized by muscular tremors.

tremble British  
/ ˈtrɛmbəl /

verb

  1. to vibrate with short slight movements; quiver

  2. to shake involuntarily, as with cold or fear; shiver

  3. to experience fear or anxiety

"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 trembling

"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 shake.

Other Word Forms

  • trembling adjective
  • tremblingly adverb
  • trembly adjective
  • untrembling adjective
  • untremblingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of tremble

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English trem(b)len (verb), from Old French trembler, from Vulgar Latin *tremulāre, derivative of Latin tremulus tremulous

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.

His mouth doesn’t close, his eyebrows stay raised, his hands tremble.

From Salon • Apr. 3, 2026

"You rejoice and cry, and you tremble inside from the emotion -- seeing those eyes that are both sad and joyful and filled with tears," she told AFP during a recent prisoner exchange.

From Barron's • Mar. 18, 2026

Darts is a sport where you just cannot afford nerves to get to you - a tremble is often the end of a treble.

From BBC • Jan. 4, 2025

Dramatically reenacting the scene in the special, Foxx’s legs tremble, his eyes wide.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 10, 2024

Without Valley’s stakes, and without any idea what she was doing, Seven began to sweat and tremble with fear.

From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega

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.