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quiver 1 of 2

noun

Definition of quivernext
as in shiver
an instance of shaking involuntarily with fear or cold a quiver ran through the audience when the monster cornered the movie's hero

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quiver

2 of 2

verb

as in to shake
to make a series of small irregular or violent movements aspen leaves quivering in the breeze

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 quiver
Noun
Up high, fresh laundry quivers in the breeze like bunting, pegged precariously to twine stretched taut between windows. — Esme Nicholson, NPR, 3 June 2026 Visually, the tunnel’s thick metal exterior quivers and soil shakes off it as each succeeding segment ignites. — Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 6 May 2026
Verb
Her papers quivered in her hand. — Tanya Babbar, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 June 2026 Located on the street level of the Harbor Boulevard complex, the new shop gives dessert-loving denizens another place to pick up the quivering treat. — Brock Keeling, Oc Register, 26 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for quiver
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quiver
  1. shiver
  2. shake
  3. shudder
  4. jerk
  5. tremble
  6. vibrate
Noun
  • Which should really send a shiver of age paralysis down every Millennial reader’s spine.
    — Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Speaking to Julia Cunningham on her eponymous podcast, Adams says the moment when Cecile realizes her half-sister is the serial killer (while her mom was a plain ol’ one-off manslaughterer) still gives her the shivers.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 22 July 2026
Definition of shiver
Verb
  • As Gansey greeted them, shaking hands, taking photos and smiling endlessly, one stepped forward with a question that encapsulated everything.
    — Tony Jones, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • More than a year of demonstrations sometimes drawing hundreds of thousands of people shook Vucic more than ever during his 14 years in power.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of shake
Noun
  • Sending a shudder or a soothing hand (totally depending on your POV and 401K) down the back of the media eco-system, take of the Steal A Brainrot crew and their MSK team is that nobody owns nuthin even with a few keystrokes and prompts.
    — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Elsewhere, increasingly popular quadrupedal robot dogs deployed by the military and police have exhibited uncanny qualities that would make a Black Mirror writer shudder.
    — Mack DeGeurin, Popular Science, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of shudder
Verb
  • And like any great sitcom, Friends runs the gamut from numbing brain-rot to tear-jerking sentimentality.
    — Mack DeGeurin, Popular Science, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Even after a bailiff woke him up, Martin slumped over in his wheelchair, inside a courtroom bullpen, occasionally jerking and opening his eyes.
    — Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of jerk
Noun
  • Be a good child, do what they’re told, be the best child, a tremble in their hands, say nothing, tensed for the knock on the door.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 June 2026
  • Ultimately, the recent market trembles reveal less about the immediate dangers of AI and more about the precarious psychology of modern trading.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 24 Feb. 2026
Definition of tremble
Verb
  • Sound in modern brass instruments, such as French horns, trombones, and trumpets, is produced when the player vibrates their lips against a metal mouthpiece, moving air through the instrument’s tubing.
    — Kara Rogers, Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 Sep. 2026
  • And the universal consciousness of light that vibrated at my frequency is what saved me.
    — Ashley Hume, FOXNews.com, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of vibrate

Browse Nearby Words

quitting
quiver
quivered
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Cite this Entry

“Quiver.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quiver. Accessed 20 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on quiver

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about quiver

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