tremor
Americannoun
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involuntary shaking of the body or limbs, as from disease, fear, weakness, or excitement; a fit of trembling.
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any tremulous or vibratory movement; vibration.
tremors following an earthquake.
-
a trembling or quivering effect, as of light.
- Synonyms:
- oscillation
-
a quavering sound, as of the voice.
noun
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an involuntary shudder or vibration, as from illness, fear, shock, etc
-
any trembling or quivering movement
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a vibrating or trembling effect, as of sound or light
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Also called: earth tremor. a minor earthquake
verb
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A relatively minor seismic shaking or vibrating movement. Tremors often precede larger earthquakes or volcanic eruptions.
-
An involuntary shaking or trembling of the head or extremities that can be idiopathic or associated with any of various medical conditions, such as Parkinson's disease.
Other Word Forms
- tremorless adjective
- tremorous adjective
Etymology
Origin of tremor
1325–75; Middle English < Latin: a trembling, equivalent to trem ( ere ) to tremble + -or -or 1
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.
More than 3,800 people in Myanmar -- and around 90 more in neighbouring Thailand -- were killed when the 7.7-magnitude tremor struck on March 28, 2025.
From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026
"We heard a bit of a thud and felt a tremor, and we saw a number of people moving quickly out of the shopping centre," he told the BBC.
From BBC • Feb. 28, 2026
But it is another tremor shaking up assumptions about the global economy.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 29, 2026
The genetic neuroscience company said the Food and Drug Administration had granted breakthrough therapy designation for ulixacaltamide, a treatment for patients with essential tremor.
From Barron's • Dec. 29, 2025
The chariot lurched, and the poxies stumbled as a tremor rippled along Siegel.
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
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.
