Definition of "paroxysms" [paroxysms]

• Plural form of paroxysm. (noun)

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• "Mr. King defended his decision to hold hearings by attacking what he described as "paroxysms of rage and hysteria" from special-interest groups that opposed the inquiry."
• "At midnight, I was in paroxysms of terror and my flashlight died."
• "The folks who gave you unstinting approval of warrantless wiretapping, who applauded the Bush administration's surveillance on anti-war protesters, and who whooped in paroxysms of patriotic ecstasy as the Department of Justice under John Ashcroft loosened restrictions of the FBI to monitor and investigate "terror" groups such as people attending worship services at mosques or going to pot-lucks at Quaker meetings, are aghast over the revelation that the Department of Homeland Security is monitoring "right-wing extremist activity;" you know, like the people who blew up the federal building in Oklahoma City and planted bombs at the Olympics in Atlanta and targeted doctors who performed abortions for assassination."