as in shiver
an instance of shaking involuntarily with fear or cold a shudder ran through him as he stepped outside into the snow
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in to shake
to make a series of small irregular or violent movements huddled in the basement, we shuddered with fear as we heard the approaching tornado
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 shudder
Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2026 The age of trade protectionism returned to America in 2025 with the shudder of a closing customs gate. —Inu Manak, Time, 16 Jan. 2026
Marcos Breton, Sacbee.com, 24 Mar. 2026 At least the elevator still creaked and shuddered, as in the old days, finally trembling open on the eighth floor. —Rick Bragg, Southern Living, 15 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for shudder
Noun
Foster recalls with a shudder the 3-1 defeat at FC Halifax Town during the National League run-in that threatened to derail their title push. —Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2026 The age of trade protectionism returned to America in 2025 with the shudder of a closing customs gate. —Inu Manak, Time, 16 Jan. 2026
Verb
There was once a time when even the whisper of Cesar Chavez and his United Farm Workers union caused growers across America to shudder. —Marcos Breton, Sacbee.com, 24 Mar. 2026 At least the elevator still creaked and shuddered, as in the old days, finally trembling open on the eighth floor. —Rick Bragg, Southern Living, 15 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for shudder
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shudder
Noun
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Miller wrote the play long before the rise of artificial intelligence sent shivers through the American workforce.— Chris Jones, New York Daily News, 10 Apr. 2026
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And some shivers, because that title isn’t a misdirect.— Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The situation is also an opportunity for NASA to resume the kind of risk-taking that has been lacking to shake the agency out of a post-space-shuttle lethargy and to reignite passions for reaching a stretch goal under deadline pressure.— Thomas Black, Mercury News, 24 Apr. 2026
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The front car of the train appeared to jump the track, leaving passengers shaken.— Todd Feurer, CBS News, 24 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Furman is one of a kind: a trans, devoutly Jewish former rabbinical student who’s written a book about Lou Reed and sings folk-punk songs in a mercurial tremble.— Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 22 May 2025
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Valeria leaves guard duties to Ellen, a grandmother with a constant tremble in her hands from her MS.— James Grebey, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2024
Verb
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The plane jerked to a stop as two trucks passed just feet in front of its nose.— Alexandra Skores, CNN Money, 16 Apr. 2026
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In a viral video of the aftermath, the robot jerks back and forth to shake the glass off, showering yet more dangerous shards onto the sidewalk.— Frank Landymore, Futurism, 26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In the 1970s, James Lovelock proposed that the biosphere was not just green scruff quivering on Earth's surface.— Big Think, Big Think, 23 Apr. 2026
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Plume-like cypress trees quiver along curvaceous paths, walled in rustic local sandstone and concrete.— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Electrons vibrating in some container.— Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
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The pilot of a helicopter that crashed on a sightseeing flight off the Hawaiian island of Kauai last month, killing three passengers, told investigators that the aircraft vibrated and spun before plunging into the water, according to report released Friday.— ABC News, ABC News, 17 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shudder.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/thesaurus/shudder. Accessed 28 Apr. 2026.
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