Advertisement - Continue reading below

Definition of "shudder" []

  • To shiver convulsively, as from fear or revulsion. See Synonyms at shake. (verb-intransitive)
  • To vibrate; quiver: The airplane shuddered in the turbulence. (verb-intransitive)
  • A convulsive shiver, as from fear or revulsion; a tremor. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "shudder" in a sentence
  • "I bent lower over her, and as I did so a slight, involuntary movement, akin to what we call a shudder, ran through her body."
  • "He appears to regard rights, a word that he usually encloses in shudder-quotes, as an alibi to advance material claims."
  • "That's the social safety net you've been sneering at, oh-so-wittily placing the phrase in shudder-quotes."