shudder
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to shake for a moment because you feel cold, afraid, or disgusted.
v.to tremble or shiver involuntarily, typically as a physiological response to fear, cold, or a strong sense of aversion.
Simple“She shuddered at the thought of having to walk home alone in the dark.”
In context“He shuddered involuntarily as the icy wind cut through his thin jacket, regretting his decision to leave his coat in the car.”
UsageIntransitive; often followed by 'at' when referring to the cause of the feeling.
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to shake or vibrate violently and unevenly, like a machine or a building.
v.to vibrate or shake with sudden, jerky force; often used to describe mechanical or structural instability.
Simple“The old bus shuddered to a halt at the red light.”
In context“The entire building shuddered when the heavy machinery in the basement was activated for the first time.”
UsageIntransitive; frequently used with 'to a halt' or 'to a stop'.
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a sudden shaking movement of your body or a machine.
n.a brief, convulsive tremor of the body or a sudden mechanical vibration.
Simple“A cold shudder went down his spine when he heard the strange noise.”
In context“The aircraft gave a violent shudder as it passed through the pocket of severe turbulence, alarming the passengers.”
“It was what happened in between times against Galatasaray and Copenhagen that still causes a few shudders.”
From Middle English schoderen, from Middle Dutch schudderen and/or Middle Low German schodderen, iterative forms of the verb at hand in Dutch schudden, Low German schüdden (both “to shake”), German schütten (“to pour”), from Proto-Germanic skudjaną, from Proto-Indo-European skewdʰ-. From Low German are also borrowed German schaudern (“to shudder”), Danish skudre.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.