shudder

1 of 2

verb

shud·​der ˈshə-dər How to pronounce shudder (audio)
shuddered; shuddering ˈshə-d(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce shudder (audio)

intransitive verb

: to tremble convulsively : shiver, quiver

shudder

2 of 2

noun

: an act of shuddering
shuddery adjective

Examples of shudder in a Sentence

Verb The old car shuddered to a halt. The house shuddered as a plane flew overhead. Noun a shudder ran through him as he stepped outside into the snow
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Detractors, like me, shudder at its lack of tangible existence or government backing and its tsunamic volatility. Larry Light, Forbes, 11 Feb. 2024 With shuddering booms and bursts of light, its interceptor missiles knocked down one Russian missile after another. Marc Santora, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2024 Spooky season has long tapped into humans' deepest fears, and the creepy, crawling, and chittering creatures can make even the strongest of us shudder with disgust, especially in numbers. Sarah Sprague, EW.com, 19 Oct. 2023 Characters who should be used to constant surveillance of a documentary crew — remember, the show is an Office-style mockumentary — still shudder in fear over Ava’s potential threat to their privacy in the workplace. Vulture, 11 Jan. 2024 Live music events shuddered to a halt in 2020 and through much of 2021, while at the same time sales skyrocketed for guitars, keyboards, home recording equipment and other products consumers could play or learn to use at home. George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Jan. 2024 There’s the former Prince Theater, a beautiful but shuddered pink, art deco tomb. Michael Adno, Rolling Stone, 7 Jan. 2024 Garnett foreshadowed the main event by shivering, shuddering and almost gagging in earlier scenes. Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 4 Jan. 2024 One shudders to imagine how wealth, so conceived, would feel. Michelle Orange, Harper's Magazine, 13 Dec. 2023
Noun
In typical Neubauten mode, the music shudders, wobbles, and turns in on itself as the pioneering industrial group clangs rhythms and manipulates the tapes. Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 22 Mar. 2024 All three would make my Wisconsinite mother, who cannot abide crust thicker than a dime, shudder. Jess Fleming, Twin Cities, 8 Feb. 2024 The door into the surveillance room shudders, cutting short anything Anton might have said in reply. Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 28 Feb. 2024 The news will send a shudder down the spines of AI-phobic workers, and perhaps some of Klarna’s 4,200 employees. Ryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 28 Feb. 2024 Related article Trump’s incendiary NATO remarks send very real shudders through Europe Wang may see more success in stabilizing relations with individual EU member states interested in boosting economic ties — and those looking with uncertainty at the impending US elections, according to observers. Simone McCarthy, CNN, 19 Feb. 2024 The names bring a shudder in our decade of calamitous wildfires. Paula L. Woods, Los Angeles Times, 25 Jan. 2024 The laughs — and here the comedy element is mercifully intact — the shudders, the gasps and, at the most spectacular moments, the screams throughout the auditorium are testament to its effectiveness. David Benedict, Variety, 14 Dec. 2023 The shudder is a trauma response, a kind of biological palate cleanser that allows a return to a sense of normalcy after duress. Rachel Sherman Lanna Apisukh, New York Times, 13 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'shudder.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English shoddren; akin to Old High German skutten to shake and perhaps to Lithuanian kutėti to shake up

First Known Use

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1607, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of shudder was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near shudder

Cite this Entry

“Shudder.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shudder. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

shudder

1 of 2 verb
shud·​der ˈshəd-ər How to pronounce shudder (audio)
shuddered; shuddering -(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce shudder (audio)
1
: to tremble with fear or horror or from cold
shuddered just thinking about it
2
: shake entry 1 sense 1, quiver
the train slowed and shuddered to a halt

shudder

2 of 2 noun
: an act of shuddering : shiver
shuddery adjective

Medical Definition

shudder

intransitive verb
shud·​der ˈshəd-ər How to pronounce shudder (audio)
shuddered; shuddering
: to tremble convulsively : shiver
shudder noun

More from Merriam-Webster on shudder

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