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convulsed

verb

past tense of convulse
as in shook
to make a series of small irregular or violent movements convulsing with silent laughter as the inept pianist blithely played on

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of convulsed Hong Kong’s position as a once-outspoken corner of China has been upended in recent years by a national security crackdown following huge and often violent democracy protests that convulsed the city in 2019. — Chris Lau, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026 These empires all emerged in the aftermath of the great Mongol conquests that spread over the Eurasian steppe in the thirteenth century and convulsed politics far and wide. — Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026 The climbdown reflects the fact that, while America has been convulsed by a culture war over eligibility for female sports, the wider sporting world has moved on. — Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 1 July 2026 Britain was convulsed for years by the difficulty of agreeing to terms of divorce with Europe. — Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 25 June 2026 The internet convulsed—numerous edits to Jackson’s Wikipedia page overwhelmed the site—as millions of us reached for something to explain our loss. — Steven Gray, Time, 29 Apr. 2026 Mary Fong Lau, 80, was sentenced to three years of probation, plus 200 hours of community service, for an incident that convulsed the city in 2024. — Rachel Swan, San Francisco Chronicle, 25 Mar. 2026 The refugee crisis that followed—over 1 million Iraqis ultimately fled into Syria—contributed directly to the Syrian civil war that convulsed European politics throughout the 2010s. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 9 Mar. 2026 The war has already convulsed financial markets and led to a spike in oil and gasoline prices and left countries in Latin America bracing for the economic fallout. — Bloomberg News, Boston Herald, 7 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for convulsed
  1. shook
  2. jerked
  3. shuddered
  4. quivered
  5. vibrated
Verb
  • During a past earthquake that shook the floor, only a single strand broke across all operating towers.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 15 Sep. 2026
  • As Willard wheeled Athena away, fussing with an umbrella to offer the dog shade, Bech Parker shook her head in frustration.
    — Sandra McDonald, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of shook
Verb
  • Somewhere nearby, in a dark office, an eavesdropping oreja has just jerked to attention on his hard little chair.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Once the squid gather near the surface, lines fitted with bait are lowered into the water and rapidly jerked up and down to imitate small prey such as shrimp, triggering strikes before the catch is reeled aboard.
    — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 20 June 2026
Definition of jerked
Verb
  • The walls of my office violently shuddered and smoke filled the hallway — but no evacuation alarm ever sounded.
    — Marc A. Thiessen, Washington Post, 10 Sep. 2026
  • On Thursday, Clancy loudly sobbed, shuddered and covered her face with her hands as a medical examiner testified about Callan’s autopsy.
    — Andi Babineau, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of shuddered
Verb
  • Every once in a while, when there was a pause, my eyes started to water and my body quivered and shook a little bit.
    — Peter Wilkinson, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Each time, brown leaves that had drifted from distant trees quivered and spun on the surface.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 June 2026
Definition of quivered
Verb
  • And the universal consciousness of light that vibrated at my frequency is what saved me.
    — Ashley Hume, FOXNews.com, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Phones across the Pirriwee Peninsula vibrated ecstatically with the ping-ping-ping of parent WhatsApp group notifications.
    — Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of vibrated

Browse Nearby Words

convulse
convulsed
convulses
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Cite this Entry

“Convulsed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/convulsed. Accessed 21 Sep. 2026.

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