quiver 1 of 5

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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quiver

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verb (1)

quivering

3 of 5

adjective

quivering

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noun (2)

as in twitching
a series of slight movements by a body back and forth or from side to side the kids were fascinated by the quivering of the jellyfish and kept poking it to see it wiggle

Synonyms & Similar Words

quivering

5 of 5

verb (2)

present participle of quiver

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
As the last rusty leaves fell from the trees in the parks and historic piazzas, the birds swooped down, rummaging and pecking and shaking their feathers, then flew off again with quivers of delight. Literary Hub, 22 Jan. 2026 One arrow in this marine quiver is the use of aircraft to patrol over vast distances while dropping sonobuoys to seek out subs. New Atlas, 18 Jan. 2026
Verb
For a moment, the plane quivered around them like a greyhound straining on a leash. Burkhard Bilger, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026 The mesmerizing evolution reaches its peak when a quivering guitar solo jettisons into view. Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 26 Feb. 2026
Noun
The horror has come now like a storm— what if this night prefigured the night after death— what if all thereafter was an eternal quivering on the edge of an abyss, with everything base and vicious in oneself urging one forward and the baseness and viciousness of the world just ahead. Literary Hub, 3 Mar. 2026 The old dog slowed to a stop, nose full of bird stink, feathery tail quivering. Joel M. Vance, Outdoor Life, 29 Oct. 2025
Verb
Few things shake the confidence of a person like crawling to the top bunk of a quivering bed frame, your feet wrapping uncomfortably along the frail metal rungs of the ladder. Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 27 Jan. 2026 Danes is a four-time Golden Globe winner who brought her quivering lower lip to bear on the role of an author who thinks her next-door neighbor killed his wife. Nate Jones, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for quiver
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quiver
Noun
  • For anyone with even a mild rodent aversion, that can trigger shivers of disgust.
    Angela Haupt, Time, 8 May 2026
  • Moses had a slight shiver on his way to bring Pal O Mine to the winner’s circle for photos.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Players were visibly shaken, as were many in the stands, as medical staff from both teams and EMS placed him on a stretcher and carted him off the field.
    Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 15 May 2026
  • Rinse under cold water 1 minute, shaking to ensure a thorough rinse.
    Midwest Living, Midwest Living, 15 May 2026
Noun
  • All the trembling, as Kimbangu touched the sick, alarmed European settlers and reassured the plantation workers who trekked to Nkamba in search of healing.
    Rodney Muhumuza, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
  • At first this change of scale vivifies the butterfly—its brief stillness, the angle of its wings, its trembling—while freezing everything else, including the novel’s action.
    Ben Lerner, The New York Review of Books, 19 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Structure information summary Most structures in this region are resistant to earthquake shaking, though vulnerable structures exist.
    CA Earthquake Bot, Sacbee.com, 10 May 2026
  • About 180,000 people experienced light to strong shaking, according to the USGS.
    Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2026
Noun
  • In early April, Anthropic sent shudders through the tech community with Claude’s Mythos Preview model.
    Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 2 May 2026
  • That process of a rupture hitting a barrier creates a signature called a stopping phase—a seismic shudder traveling the opposite direction to the main rupture.
    Jacek Krywko, Scientific American, 23 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • During their first night together, just for an instant, Nikki appears to glitch, jerking back mid-kiss and looking at him with blind panic instead of undying affection.
    Alex Barasch, New Yorker, 11 May 2026
  • John jerked Maggie back by the elbow and stopped her from stepping into the street.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 May 2026
Adjective
  • That week’s host, Emily Blunt, did the trembly voice-over.
    Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 21 Dec. 2020
Noun
  • During this phase, octopuses display visible twitching along with rapid changes in skin color and texture, per NPR.
    Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2026
  • Gosnell did not testify at his 2013 trial, but his defense attorney argued that none of the fetuses were born alive and that any movements were posthumous twitching or spasms, according to the AP.
    Greg Norman-Diamond, FOXNews.com, 24 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Quiver.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quiver. Accessed 16 May. 2026.

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