Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense trembles, present participle trembling, past tense, past participle trembled
1. verb
If you tremble, you shake slightly because you are frightened or cold.
His mouth became dry, his eyes widened, and he began to tremble all over. [VERB]
Gil was white and trembling with anger. [VERB + with]
With trembling fingers, he removed the camera from his pocket. [VERB-ing]
Tremble is also a noun.
I will never forget the look on the patient's face, the tremble in his hand. [+ in/of]
2. verb
If something trembles, it shakes slightly.
[literary]
He felt the earth tremble under him. [VERB]
The leaves trembled in the trees. [VERB]
Synonyms: vibrate, rock, shake, quake More Synonyms of tremble
3. verb
If your voice trembles, it sounds unsteady and uncertain, usually because you are upset or nervous.
[literary]
His voice trembled, on the verge of tears. [VERB]
Tremble is also a noun.
'Please understand this,' she began, a tremble in her voice. [+ in]
[Also + of]
More Synonyms of tremble
tremble in British English
(ˈtrɛmbəl)
verb(intransitive)
1.
to vibrate with short slight movements; quiver
2.
to shake involuntarily, as with cold or fear; shiver
3.
to experience fear or anxiety
noun
4.
the act or an instance of trembling
Derived forms
trembling (ˈtrembling)
adjective
tremblingly (ˈtremblingly)
adverb
trembly (ˈtrembly)
adjective
Word origin
C14: from Old French trembler, from Medieval Latin tremulāre, from Latin tremulus quivering, from tremere to quake
tremble in American English
(ˈtrɛmbəl)
verb intransitiveWord forms: ˈtrembled or ˈtrembling
1.
to shake involuntarily from cold, fear, excitement, fatigue, etc.; shiver
2.
to feel great fear or anxiety
3.
to quiver, quake, totter, vibrate, etc.
4.
to quaver
her voice trembled
noun
5.
a.
the act or condition of trembling
b. [sometimes pl.]
a fit or state of trembling
6. US; [pl.]
a disease of cattle and sheep caused by a poisonous, oily alcohol contained in certain plants, as white snakeroot, and characterized by muscular tremors and a stumbling gait: communicated to humans as milk sickness
Derived forms
trembler (ˈtrembler)
noun
tremblingly (ˈtremblingly)
adverb
trembly (ˈtrembly)
adjective
Word origin
ME tremblen < OFr trembler < VL *tremulare < L tremulus, trembling < tremere, to tremble < IE *trem- (< base *ter-) > Gr tremein, to tremble
Examples of 'tremble' in a sentence
tremble
The eggs are done when they are just set but will still tremble slightly in the ramekins.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Her finger is trembling with excitement as she points.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Her lips trembled and her gaze widened with tears.
Edith Wharton The House of Mirth (1905)
She used her gift to still her trembling soul.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Agents around the world are trembling with excitement.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Her face was flushed and her lip trembled.
George Eliot Middlemarch (1872)
She trembled with fear as she went along the moonlit passages.
Elizabeth Gaskell Wives and Daughters (1864)
But she drew back her hand, and trembled all over.
William Thackeray Vanity Fair (1837)
He stood up, trembling with anger.
The Sun (2010)
When he spoke, his voice fair trembled the heavy timbers that arched the hall.
Kathleen E. Woodiwiss THE WOLF AND THE DOVE
The judge leaned forward and gave me a piercing look, his wig trembling slightly.
James Fergusson KANDAHAR COCKNEY: A Tale of Two Worlds (2004)
She grew up on a farm, and her voice trembled before crowds.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
These golden autumn leaves still tremble, but they are less noisy than when they were green.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Who else challenges us as we look at depths in his life that makes us shake and tremble with longing to be like him?
Christianity Today (2000)
The bridegroom's hand trembled visibly, and no one heard his replies.
Louisa May Alcott Little Women (1869)
At about midnight they were suddenly awakened from their sleep by a loud noise and the earth trembling, which caused the whole building to shake about them.
Barrett, Clive The Gods of Asgard (1989)
In other languages
tremble
British English: tremble /ˈtrɛmbl/ VERB
If you tremble, you shake slightly, usually because you are frightened or cold.
I was trembling with fear.
American English: tremble
Arabic: يَرْتَعِدُ
Brazilian Portuguese: tremer
Chinese: 颤抖
Croatian: drhtati
Czech: třást se zimou, strachy
Danish: skælve
Dutch: trillen
European Spanish: temblar persona
Finnish: vapista
French: trembler
German: zittern
Greek: τρέμω
Italian: tremare
Japanese: 震える
Korean: 떨다
Norwegian: skjelve
Polish: zadrżeć
European Portuguese: tremer
Romanian: a tremura
Russian: дрожать
Latin American Spanish: temblar
Swedish: darra
Thai: สั่นสะเทือน
Turkish: titremek
Ukrainian: тремтіти
Vietnamese: run
Chinese translation of 'tremble'
tremble
(ˈtrɛmbl)
vi
[voice] (with fear etc) 颤(顫)抖 (chàndǒu)
[body] (with fear, cold) 战(戰)栗(慄) (zhànlì)
[ground, trees]抖动(動) (dǒudòng)
1 (verb)
Definition
to shake with short slight movements
He began to tremble all over.
Synonyms
shake
I stood there, crying and shaking with fear.
shiver
He shivered in the cold.
quake
shudder
She shuddered with cold.
quiver
His bottom lip quivered and big tears rolled down his cheeks.
teeter
He watched the cup teeter on the edge before it fell.
totter
The balconies begin to tremble and totter in the smoke and fumes.
quake in your boots
shake in your boots or shoes
2 (verb)
Definition
(of the voice) to sound uncertain or unsteady, for instance through pain or emotion
He felt the earth tremble under him.
Synonyms
vibrate
Her whole body seemed to vibrate with terror.
rock
His death rocked the fashion business.
shake
The plane shook frighteningly as it hit the high, drenching waves.
quake
Her shoulders quaked.
wobble
My voice wobbled with nerves.
oscillate
The needle indicating volume was oscillating wildly.
(noun)
Definition
the act or an instance of trembling
I'll never forget the tremble in his hand.
Synonyms
shake
blurring of photos caused by camera shake
shiver
Alice gave a shiver of delight.
quake (informal)
The quake destroyed mud buildings in many remote villages.
shudder
She recoiled with a shudder.
wobble
He rode off on his bicycle with only a slight wobble.
tremor
He felt a tremor in his arm.
quiver
I felt a quiver of panic.
vibration
The vibration dislodged the pins from the plane's rudder.
oscillation
Additional synonyms
in the sense of oscillate
Definition
to swing repeatedly back and forth
The needle indicating volume was oscillating wildly.
Synonyms
fluctuate,
swing,
vary,
sway,
waver,
veer,
rise and fall,
vibrate,
undulate,
go up and down,
seesaw
in the sense of quake
Definition
to shudder because of instability
Her shoulders quaked.
Synonyms
shake,
tremble,
quiver,
move,
rock,
shiver,
throb,
shudder,
wobble,
waver,
vibrate,
pulsate,
quail,
totter,
convulse
in the sense of quake
Definition
an earthquake
The quake destroyed mud buildings in many remote villages.
Synonyms
earthquake,
tremor,
shock
Synonyms of 'tremble'
tremble
Explore 'tremble' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of quiver
Definition
to shake with a tremulous movement; tremble
His bottom lip quivered and big tears rolled down his cheeks.
Synonyms
shake,
tremble,
shiver,
quake,
shudder,
agitate,
vibrate,
pulsate,
quaver,
convulse,
palpitate
in the sense of quiver
Definition
a shaking or trembling
I felt a quiver of panic.
Synonyms
shake,
tremble,
shiver,
throb,
shudder,
tremor,
spasm,
vibration,
tic,
convulsion,
palpitation,
pulsation
in the sense of rock
Definition
to feel or cause to feel shock
His death rocked the fashion business.
Synonyms
shock,
surprise,
shake,
stun,
astonish,
stagger,
jar,
astound,
daze,
dumbfound,
set you back on your heels (informal)
in the sense of shiver
Definition
to tremble from cold or fear
He shivered in the cold.
Synonyms
shudder,
shake,
tremble,
quake,
quiver,
palpitate
in the sense of shiver
Definition
a tremble caused by cold or fear
Alice gave a shiver of delight.
Synonyms
tremble,
shake,
shudder,
quiver,
thrill,
trembling,
flutter,
tremor,
frisson
in the sense of shudder
Definition
to shake or tremble suddenly and violently from horror or fear
She shuddered with cold.
Synonyms
shiver,
shake,
tremble,
quake,
quiver,
convulse
in the sense of shudder
Definition
a shiver of fear or horror
She recoiled with a shudder.
Synonyms
shiver,
trembling,
tremor,
quiver,
spasm,
convulsion
in the sense of teeter
Definition
to wobble or move unsteadily
He watched the cup teeter on the edge before it fell.
Synonyms
wobble,
rock,
totter,
balance,
stagger,
sway,
tremble,
waver,
pivot,
seesaw
in the sense of totter
Definition
to sway or shake as if about to fall
The balconies begin to tremble and totter in the smoke and fumes.
Synonyms
shake,
sway,
rock,
tremble,
quake,
shudder,
lurch,
waver,
quiver,
vibrate,
teeter,
judder
in the sense of tremor
Definition
an involuntary shudder or vibration
He felt a tremor in his arm.
Synonyms
shake,
shaking,
tremble,
trembling,
shiver,
quaking,
wobble,
quiver,
quivering,
agitation,
vibration,
quaver
Additional synonyms
in the sense of vibration
Definition
a vibrating
The vibration dislodged the pins from the plane's rudder.
Synonyms
shaking,
shake,
trembling,
quake,
quaking,
shudder,
shuddering,
quiver,
oscillation,
judder (informal)
in the sense of wobble
Definition
to shake
My voice wobbled with nerves.
Synonyms
tremble,
shake,
vibrate
in the sense of wobble
Definition
a wobbling movement or sound
He rode off on his bicycle with only a slight wobble.