tremor

American  

[trem-er, tree-mer] / ˈtrɛm ər, ˈtri mər /

noun

• tremors
  plural

1. involuntary shaking of the body or limbs, as from disease, fear, weakness, or excitement; a fit of trembling.

   Synonyms:

   quiver, shiver, shudder

2. any tremulous or vibratory movement; vibration.

   tremors following an earthquake.

3. a trembling or quivering effect, as of light.

   Synonyms:

   oscillation

4. a quavering sound, as of the voice.

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tremor British  

/ ˈtrɛmə /

noun

1. an involuntary shudder or vibration, as from illness, fear, shock, etc

2. any trembling or quivering movement

3. a vibrating or trembling effect, as of sound or light

4. Also called: earth tremor.  a minor earthquake

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verb

1. (intr) to tremble

tremor Scientific  

/ trĕm′ər /

1. A relatively minor seismic shaking or vibrating movement. Tremors often precede larger earthquakes or volcanic eruptions.

2. 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.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• tremorless
  adjective
• tremorous
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• tremors
  plural

Etymology

Origin of tremor

1325–75; Middle English < Latin: a trembling, equivalent to trem ( ere ) to tremble + -or -or ¹

Explanation

A tremor is a trembling or shaking in a person or the Earth. If you're scared about speaking in public you might have a tremor in your voice — or wish that an earthquake tremor would open up the floor and swallow you first. If you're nervous or feeling queasy as you read a paper aloud, you might get a tremor in your hands and the paper itself will start to shake. When an earthquake rumbles, a powerful tremor might make a building shake so that it looks as fragile as a piece of paper. Not every tremor comes from fear or seismic activity, though: you can tremor or quiver with excitement as you anticipate something enjoyable.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tremor tremors

It is the latest tremor in the world of Big Law, which is being disrupted by aggressive poaching of rainmakers, the pressure of artificial intelligence and less-loyal clients.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

Granada mayor Marifran Carazo urged people to stay at home and "above all, if there is another tremor, avoid going outside and standing alongside buildings".

From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026

Colombia’s Geological Service noted the quake was country’s strongest recorded tremor in the 21st century and that it was followed by nearly two dozen powerful aftershocks.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

In April 2016, a 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck Kumamoto two days after a magnitude 6.5 tremor.

From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026

The fog sucked the tremor of inflection in his voice, and the sentence came out sounding flat, lifeless.

From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon

Further tremors were felt in Cali on Tuesday - part of a pattern of aftershocks across the country, with more than 70 having taken place since Monday's earthquake, according to Colombia's geological service.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

Dentist Julian Pena said he "ran outside carrying nothing" after feeling strong tremors and found hundreds doing the same.

From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026

Market uncertainty about Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh’s commitment to tackling inflation has also caused tremors, pushing up long-term borrowing costs to 19-year highs and rattling stocks along the way.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026

The area is located on an active tectonic fault system and is no stranger to tremors.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

Of the two thousand or so each year that are strong enough to be felt, most are small tremors, which do little more than rattle dishes and set off car alarms.

From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland

Related Words

• earthquake
• shiver
• upheaval
• vibration