judder

1 of 2

verb

jud·​der ˈjə-dər How to pronounce judder (audio)
juddered; juddering; judders

intransitive verb

chiefly British
: to vibrate with intensity
the engine stalled and kept judderingRoy Spicer

judder

2 of 2

noun

chiefly British
: the action or sound of juddering

Examples of judder in a Sentence

Verb the engine began to judder alarmingly just a few miles outside of Brighton
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
Well, after years of stuttering, pausing, juddering, waiting for the goalkeeper to dive and then rolling spot kicks meekly into the net, Nick Woltemade may have just reversed the trend. Tim Spiers, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2025 Hers is prose in which sentences judder and disintegrate and run over each other. Book Marks august 28, Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2025
Noun
Contrast that with Robert Lewandowski, whose stutter, pause, judder, wait for the ’keeper to dive and then place it wide of the post didn’t work for Barcelona during their surprise defeat away to Sevilla a few hours later. Tim Spiers, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2025 The movie judders from one set piece to another with only a loose plot to follow—the story involves some dead bodies, an evil billionaire (Danny Huston), and a budding romance between Drebin and Beth. David Sims, The Atlantic, 1 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for judder

Word History

Etymology

Verb

probably alteration of shudder

First Known Use

Verb

1931, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1935, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of judder was in 1931

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Judder.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/judder. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!