as in upheaval
a violent disturbance (as of the political or social order)
the Russian Revolution was one of the major convulsions of the 20th century
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Recent Examples of convulsion
Other people may experience symptoms, such as headaches, a stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, convulsions, fever, muscle aches, and tiredness.
—
Michele Laufik,
Martha Stewart,
9 June 2026
Gary McHugh went into convulsions.
—
Jerry Shnay,
Chicago Tribune,
1 June 2026
In the 1850s and 1860s, the partisan press in the United States helped stoke the political convulsions that led to the Civil War.
—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
26 May 2026
Less than 1% will contract West Nile neuroinvasive disease, a more serious neurological illness that causes tremors, convulsions, neck stiffness, disorientation, paralysis and even death.
—
Mateo Rosiles,
USA Today,
20 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for convulsion
Michele Laufik,
Martha Stewart,
9 June 2026
Gary McHugh went into convulsions.
—
Jerry Shnay,
Chicago Tribune,
1 June 2026
In the 1850s and 1860s, the partisan press in the United States helped stoke the political convulsions that led to the Civil War.
—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
26 May 2026
Less than 1% will contract West Nile neuroinvasive disease, a more serious neurological illness that causes tremors, convulsions, neck stiffness, disorientation, paralysis and even death.
—
Mateo Rosiles,
USA Today,
20 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for convulsion
Recent Examples of Synonyms for convulsion
Noun
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The federal government accelerated efforts to subdue resistance, bringing years of hardship and upheaval for Native Americans.
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The two respond to the upheaval in different ways, one embracing a new lease on life, the other feeling unmoored and disoriented.
Noun
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Shares have jumped 80% in the year to date as an ongoing memory supply crunch accelerates the adoption of lithography equipment for the production of semiconductors required to power the AI revolution.
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Haitian soldiers seasoned on American battlefields during the revolution later sparked Haiti’s overthrow of French colonial rule, depriving France of its most profitable slave colony and ending one of the most brutal enslavement of human beings in modern world history.
Noun
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Haiti also did it without playing a single qualifying match in Haiti because of unrest.
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Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s Prosperity Party retained its large parliamentary majority in recent elections overshadowed by unrest in Africa’s second-most-populous country.
Noun
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Those who felt the earthquake are encouraged to report it through the USGS Felt Report form.
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One woman, who spoke anonymously and survived the 2010 Haiti earthquake, expressed fear about the potential end of her status.
Cite this Entry
“Convulsion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/convulsion. Accessed 28 Jun. 2026.
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