throb 1 of 2

noun

Definition of throbnext
as in pulse
a rhythmic expanding and contracting I seemed to feel anew the pain of her death with each throb of my heart

Synonyms & Similar Words

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throb

2 of 2

verb

ˈthräb How to pronounce throb (audio)
as in to pulse
to expand and contract in a rhythmic manner the car's stereo speakers throbbing with the song's bass line

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 throb
Noun
The father of six children, a teenage heart throb, a brilliant stage actor, and a husband. — Dr. Frederick W. Ruymann, Boston Herald, 31 Mar. 2026 And in my own case, that meaning has been a reminder — unwelcome but reliable — of my origins, and of the need to find the right fit when crossing between languages, so that the ache in one finds its answering throb in another. — Jan Steyn, The Dial, 10 Mar. 2026
Verb
Workers are paying for it as the people in charge mostly ignore our throbbing national headache. — Lizzy Lawrence, STAT, 8 July 2026 When Marlowe awoke the next morning, her head was still throbbing and Declan's side was empty, the sheets lineless. — Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 30 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for throb
Recent Examples of Synonyms for throb
  1. pulse
  2. beat
  3. vibrate
  4. pulsate
  5. palpitate
Noun
  • Onslaught is the kind of film that should get my pulse racing.
    — Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Win or lose, Tennessee is in the middle of an autopsy while trying to find a pulse.
    — Mike Semel, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of pulse
Verb
  • Jake Burger homered twice and Ezequiel Duran had his 12th game this season with at least three hits as Texas rallied from two four-run deficits to beat Tampa Bay.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Watson was at the center of one of Week 1’s biggest upsets as the Minutemen won at Rutgers to break a 16-game losing streak and beat an FBS opponent for the first time since 2023.
    — Antonio Morales, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of beat
Verb
  • Saturated in velvety blues, reds, and blacks, Zumthor’s surfaces all but vibrate; the subtle variations in the application of the paint and the alchemy of the pigment on the concrete substrate bring the walls maximally to life.
    — Katy Barkan, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026
  • All of this has to work while the brush head vibrates at 58,000 revs per minute.
    — Tianwei Zhang, Footwear News, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of vibrate
Verb
  • Not Netflix‘s The Whisper Man, though, which doesn’t need the extra time and sails by in under two hours as a movie in a pulsating pace that keeps us engaged and guessing from beginning to end.
    — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Even in the dusty, mundane space of the cabinet, the stock-still object pulsated with wild energy.
    — Wilbert L. Cooper, Longreads, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of pulsate
Verb
  • The heart-palpitating rhythms and glitchy stutters suggest some unholy mix of early Plastikman and Mark Fell, the vestiges of ’90s dance music reanimated into a herky-jerky Frankenstein’s monster.
    — Andrew Ryce, Pitchfork, 4 Aug. 2026
  • But two sweaty and heart-palpitating afternoons at Foley Field spoke a truth about Georgia, bound for the College World Series for the first time since 2008.
    — Ken Sugiura, AJC.com, 8 June 2026
Definition of palpitate

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Cite this Entry

“Throb.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/throb. Accessed 11 Sep. 2026.

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