Definition of "convulsion" [con•vul•sion]

• An intense, paroxysmal, involuntary muscular contraction. (noun)
• An uncontrolled fit, as of laughter; a paroxysm. (noun)
• Violent turmoil: "The market convulsions of the last few weeks have shaken the world” ( Felix Rohatyn). (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.

• "The book has an epic scope — it is a picture of a planet in convulsion — without foregoing the detail of everyday life or a sense of the moment."
• "In the end, you make the -- we're going through a kind of short-term convulsion, and normal will be what normal was, maybe a titch (ph) different?"
• "China, the most populous nation of the globe, was in convulsion, its regime still undecided."