as in to shake
to make a series of small irregular or violent movements
convulsing with silent laughter as the inept pianist blithely played on
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of convulse
The ocean convulsed in tsunamis that rose 80 ft. high along the Chilean coast.
—
Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 30 July 2025
One of the 50 boys starts convulsing on the road, and as Jonsson and Hoffman’s characters walk backwards to see what happens, soldiers have their guns trained on his twitching body before a gunshot rings out.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 25 July 2025
First elevating an early-career U.S. Geological Survey researcher, Felisa Wolfe-Simon, to acclaim, then to controversy, the study convulsed the scientific community for two years, raising questions over how science is both conducted and publicized.
—Dan Vergano, Scientific American, 24 July 2025
With each pulse of bass and digitized clap, the onstage projection and floodlights strobed, convulsed, and inverted their colors.
—Olivier Lafontant, Pitchfork, 27 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for convulse
Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 30 July 2025
One of the 50 boys starts convulsing on the road, and as Jonsson and Hoffman’s characters walk backwards to see what happens, soldiers have their guns trained on his twitching body before a gunshot rings out.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 25 July 2025
First elevating an early-career U.S. Geological Survey researcher, Felisa Wolfe-Simon, to acclaim, then to controversy, the study convulsed the scientific community for two years, raising questions over how science is both conducted and publicized.
—Dan Vergano, Scientific American, 24 July 2025
With each pulse of bass and digitized clap, the onstage projection and floodlights strobed, convulsed, and inverted their colors.
—Olivier Lafontant, Pitchfork, 27 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for convulse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for convulse
Verb
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Whether it’s shaken, stirred, dirty, or dry, the martini remains one of the world’s most iconic and timeless drinks.—
Taryn White,
Travel + Leisure,
2 Nov. 2025
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Start the process by vigorously shaking or hanging then pounding the rug to remove loose dirt, crumbs, and other particles, then vacuum it thoroughly on both sides, using a canister vacuum with the hose or a high pile setting—and no beater bar!—
Jennifer Beck Goldblatt,
Architectural Digest,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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So one shudders to think what might happen when the Dolphins now face a murderer’s row of elite running backs and mobile quarterbacks.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
24 Oct. 2025
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Neumark shudders to think how much his grandmother may have spent on Beanie Babies.—
Jack Beresford,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The whole place was vibrating from the power of the storm.—
MSNBC Newsweek,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Oct. 2025
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At a home in eastern Jamaica, which avoided the worst of the Melissa’s impacts, Edma felt the building's concrete walls vibrate as the storm barreled across the island.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Allen, who is 6 foot 5 and 237 pounds, jerked his head back in an effort to draw a roughing penalty on Bolton.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
3 Nov. 2025
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To that point, Olympia shouldn’t be allowed to play the jury the tear-jerking recording of Frank’s final phone call home as the water rose.—
Noel Murray,
Vulture,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The kind of person who trembles at watermarks is not the sort of person who dares to put marble in the dishwasher.—
Julia Harrison,
Architectural Digest,
16 Oct. 2025
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The Maine trembled and angled up, then listed to port, throwing him from his chair.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Audiences are already quivering with anticip— ation.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
29 Oct. 2025
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A-fib is an irregular, quivering or often rapid heart rhythm resulting from the heart’s upper chambers, the atria, beating out of sync with the lower chambers, the ventricles.—
Kristen Rogers,
CNN Money,
27 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Convulse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/convulse. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
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