tremor

Language: en

🇺🇸 /ˈtrɛmɜr/

📖 Definitions

  1. noun
    An involuntary, rhythmic muscle contraction leading to shaking movements in one or more parts of the body.; A slight earthquake or shaking of the ground.; A slight quiver or vibration, especially of the voice.; A feeling of fear, excitement, or nervousness; a thrill.
  2. verb
    To shake or quiver involuntarily.

🔗 Details

Word forms

countable Plural: tremors 3rd sing.: tremors Past: tremored Past part.: tremored Pres part.: tremoring

Collocations

earth tremoressential tremortremor of fearhand tremorvoice tremortremor ran through

Derivatives

tremoroustremorless

Synonyms

tremblingshakingquivershuddervibrationtrembling

Antonyms

steadinessstillness

Commonly confused

tremble
EN: 'Tremble' is the common verb meaning to shake involuntarily; 'tremor' is primarily the noun referring to an instance or condition of shaking.
tremulous
EN: 'Tremulous' is an adjective meaning shaky or quivering (often describing voice or hands); 'tremor' is the noun for the shaking itself.

Spelling tips

EN: Do not confuse 'tremor' (noun) with 'tremble' (verb). Note the single 'r' at the end, not 'tremour' (a common misspelling influenced by British 'colour'-type spellings).

💬 Examples

  1. The old man's hands had a slight tremor that made it hard to hold a cup.

  2. A minor tremor was felt across the region, but no damage was reported.

  3. There was a tremor in her voice as she delivered the sad news.

  4. A tremor of excitement ran through the crowd as the band took the stage.

  5. The ground tremored beneath their feet during the eruption.