Synonyms
Example Sentences
Verb
The old car shuddered to a halt.
The house shuddered as a plane flew overhead.
Noun
a shudder ran through him as he stepped outside into the snow
Recent Examples on the Web
Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 24 May 2023
There was no dramatic change, no shuddering or twitching.
—Rebecca J. Lester, Scientific American, 16 May 2023
With every moment the cold seemed to grow more intense and her body shuddered uncontrollably between the coarse sheets.
—Lisa Wells, Harper’s Magazine , 15 Mar. 2023
Wall Street shuddered Tuesday after Fed Chairman Jerome Powell told lawmakers that the central bank would keep interest rates higher if need be to fight inflation.
—Yuri Kageyama, ajc, 8 Mar. 2023
His eight-year administration has been marred by violent insecurity and a shuddering economy in Africa’s most populous country.
—Carlos Mureithi, The Christian Science Monitor, 24 Feb. 2023
His head bounces inside the cockpit as a wheel shudders over a rumble strip.
—Michael M. Grynbaum, New York Times, 13 May 2023
Around the winter holidays, Southwest's operations nearly shuddered to a complete (if temporary) halt as a winter storm and technological slip-ups conspired to cause a cascade of cancellations that ultimately led the airline to intentionally pause most of its flights for a few days.
—Zach Wichter, USA TODAY, 14 Mar. 2023
When news broke earlier this week that editors of three science-fiction magazines — Clarkesworld, the Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, and Asimov’s Science Fiction — said they had been overrun with short-story submissions written by AI chatbots, writers and creative artists shuddered.
—Jessica Geltstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 2023
William Jeanes, Car and Driver, 28 Apr. 2023
Brezinski thinks back to closing Bengal Coast and shudders.
—Sarah Blaskovich, Dallas News, 14 Apr. 2023
Chase’s lines climbed and dipped, gaining altitude and thinning in the light before diving down into gnarly warbles and shudders.
—Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 9 May 2023
Prices were on track for their biggest one-day advance since April last year, when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sent a shudder through energy markets.
—Joe Wallace, WSJ, 3 Apr. 2023
The world of decentralized finance gave a collective shudder this weekend upon learning the Securities and Exchange Commission wants to amend a regulation that defines exchanges.
—Jeff John Roberts, Fortune Crypto, 17 Apr. 2023
An alarming surge in coronavirus cases in Europe and the U.S. is wiping out months of progress against the scourge on two continents, prompting new business restrictions, raising the threat of another round of large-scale lockdowns and sending a shudder through financial markets.
—Arkansas Online, 28 Oct. 2020
Marcie had said with a vehement shudder.
—Yiyun Li, The New Yorker, 16 Jan. 2023
The jury is still out [shudders to el cucuy].
—Yolanda Machado, EW.com, 5 Apr. 2023
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Verb
All the units totally flooded, several windows blown out, and the building is shuddering from the wind.
—Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 24 May 2023
There was no dramatic change, no shuddering or twitching.
—Rebecca J. Lester, Scientific American, 16 May 2023
With every moment the cold seemed to grow more intense and her body shuddered uncontrollably between the coarse sheets.
—Lisa Wells, Harper’s Magazine , 15 Mar. 2023
Wall Street shuddered Tuesday after Fed Chairman Jerome Powell told lawmakers that the central bank would keep interest rates higher if need be to fight inflation.
—Yuri Kageyama, ajc, 8 Mar. 2023
His eight-year administration has been marred by violent insecurity and a shuddering economy in Africa’s most populous country.
—Carlos Mureithi, The Christian Science Monitor, 24 Feb. 2023
His head bounces inside the cockpit as a wheel shudders over a rumble strip.
—Michael M. Grynbaum, New York Times, 13 May 2023
Around the winter holidays, Southwest's operations nearly shuddered to a complete (if temporary) halt as a winter storm and technological slip-ups conspired to cause a cascade of cancellations that ultimately led the airline to intentionally pause most of its flights for a few days.
—Zach Wichter, USA TODAY, 14 Mar. 2023
When news broke earlier this week that editors of three science-fiction magazines — Clarkesworld, the Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, and Asimov’s Science Fiction — said they had been overrun with short-story submissions written by AI chatbots, writers and creative artists shuddered.
—Jessica Geltstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 2023
Noun
With its solid body and supple suspension, the small Bimmer can be hurled over even the most pockmarked roads without losing touch with the pavement or inciting a symphony of shakes and shudders.
—William Jeanes, Car and Driver, 28 Apr. 2023
Brezinski thinks back to closing Bengal Coast and shudders.
—Sarah Blaskovich, Dallas News, 14 Apr. 2023
Chase’s lines climbed and dipped, gaining altitude and thinning in the light before diving down into gnarly warbles and shudders.
—Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 9 May 2023
Prices were on track for their biggest one-day advance since April last year, when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sent a shudder through energy markets.
—Joe Wallace, WSJ, 3 Apr. 2023
The world of decentralized finance gave a collective shudder this weekend upon learning the Securities and Exchange Commission wants to amend a regulation that defines exchanges.
—Jeff John Roberts, Fortune Crypto, 17 Apr. 2023
An alarming surge in coronavirus cases in Europe and the U.S. is wiping out months of progress against the scourge on two continents, prompting new business restrictions, raising the threat of another round of large-scale lockdowns and sending a shudder through financial markets.
—Arkansas Online, 28 Oct. 2020
Marcie had said with a vehement shudder.
—Yiyun Li, The New Yorker, 16 Jan. 2023
The jury is still out [shudders to el cucuy].
—Yolanda Machado, EW.com, 5 Apr. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'shudder.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Phrases Containing shudder
Dictionary Entries Near shudder
Cite this Entry
“Shudder.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shudder. Accessed 3 Jun. 2023.
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Kids Definition
shudder
1 of 2 verb
shud·der
ˈshəd-ər 
shuddered; shuddering
-(ə-)riŋ
1
: to tremble with fear or horror or from cold
shuddered just thinking about it
2
: shake entry 1 sense 1, quiver
the train slowed and shuddered to a halt
More from Merriam-Webster on shudder
Nglish: Translation of shudder for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of shudder for Arabic Speakers
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