Dictionary.com
definitions

tremble

[ trem-buhl ]
/ ˈtrɛm bəl /
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR tremble ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object), trem·bled, trem·bling.

to shake involuntarily with quick, short movements, as from fear, excitement, weakness, or cold; quake; quiver.
to be troubled with fear or apprehension.
(of things) to be affected with vibratory motion.
to be tremulous, as light or sound: His voice trembled.

noun

RELATED WORDS

quiver, throb, wobble, shudder, shiver, flutter, totter, palpitate, teeter, jar, quake, rock, tremor, quaver, oscillate, jitter

Nearby words

  1. trellised,
  2. trelliswork,
  3. trematoda,
  4. trematode,
  5. trematodiasis,
  6. trembler,
  7. trembles,
  8. trembling poplar,
  9. tremblor,
  10. trembly

Origin of tremble

1275–1325; Middle English trem(b)len (v.) < Old French trembler < Vulgar Latin *tremulāre, derivative of Latin tremulus tremulous
SYNONYMS FOR tremble
1. shudder. See shake. 3. oscillate.
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR tremble ON THESAURUS.COM
Related formstrem·bling·ly, adverbun·trem·bling, adjectiveun·trem·bling·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for trembling

British Dictionary definitions for trembling

tremble

/ (ˈtrɛmbəl) /

verb (intr)

to vibrate with short slight movements; quiver
to shake involuntarily, as with cold or fear; shiver
to experience fear or anxiety

noun

the act or an instance of trembling
Derived Formstrembling, adjectivetremblingly, adverbtrembly, adjective

Word Origin for tremble

C14: from Old French trembler, from Medieval Latin tremulāre, from Latin tremulus quivering, from tremere to quake
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
Word Origin and History for trembling

tremble

v.

c.1300, "shake from fear, cold, etc.," from Old French trembler "tremble, fear" (11c.), from Vulgar Latin *tremulare (source of Italian tremolare, Spanish temblar), from Latin tremulus "trembling, tremulous," from tremere "to tremble, shiver, quake," from PIE *trem- "to tremble" (cf. Greek tremein "to shiver, tremble," Lithuanian trimu "to chase away," Old Church Slavonic treso "to shake," Gothic þramstei "grasshopper"). A native word for this was Old English bifian. Related: Trembled; trembling. The noun is recorded from c.1600.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper