tremble

[ trem-buhl ]
See synonyms for: trembletrembledtremblestrembling on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object),trem·bled, trem·bling.
  1. to shake involuntarily with quick, short movements, as from fear, excitement, weakness, or cold; quake; quiver.

  2. to be troubled with fear or apprehension.

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

  2. to be tremulous, as light or sound: His voice trembled.

noun
  1. the act of trembling.

  2. a state or fit of trembling.

  1. trembles, (used with a singular verb)

    • Pathology. milk sickness.

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

Origin of tremble

1
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English trem(b)len (verb), from Old French trembler, from Vulgar Latin *tremulāre, derivative of Latin tremulustremulous

synonym study For tremble

1. See shake.

Other words for tremble

Other words from tremble

  • trem·bling·ly, adverb
  • un·trem·bling, adjective
  • un·trem·bling·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use tremble in a sentence

  • He hardly recognised himself, for, the foundations being shaken, all that was built upon them trembled too.

    The Wave | Algernon Blackwood
  • Alone the supreme Self in him looked calmly on, seeming to lessen the part that trembled and knew fear.

    The Wave | Algernon Blackwood
  • The secretary trembled in his every limb; his eyes shunned his master's as his master's had shunned Garnache's awhile ago.

    St. Martin's Summer | Rafael Sabatini
  • Dorothy put her arm across her shoulder, and spoke in a low voice, meant to be calm, but which trembled with suppressed emotion.

    The World Before Them | Susanna Moodie
  • A shudder ran down his spine; there was a sensation of inner cold against his heart; he trembled, but he could not look away.

    The Wave | Algernon Blackwood

British Dictionary definitions for tremble

tremble

/ (ˈtrɛmbəl) /


verb(intr)
  1. to vibrate with short slight movements; quiver

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

  1. to experience fear or anxiety

noun
  1. the act or an instance of trembling

Origin of tremble

1
C14: from Old French trembler, from Medieval Latin tremulāre, from Latin tremulus quivering, from tremere to quake

Derived forms of tremble

  • trembling, adjective
  • tremblingly, adverb
  • trembly, adjective

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