convulse

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convulse

  • /kənˈvʌls/

Rhymes with -ʌls

Where it comes from

From Latin convulsus, past participle of convellere (“to pluck up, dislocate, convulse”), from com- (“together”) + vellere (“to pluck, pull”). Doublet of convel.

verb convulses · convulsing · convulsed

  1. intransitive To suffer violent involuntary contractions of the muscles, causing one's body to contort. He realized she was crying. He could feel her body convulsing with little sobs and her cheek was wet where it brushed his.
  2. figuratively, intransitive To be beset by political or social upheaval. The Persian Empire was convulsing with intrigue, revolt, and civil war.
  3. transitive To cause (someone) to suffer such contractions, especially as a result of making them laugh heartily. But while he was convulsing all London with laughter, he was fast falling a victim to consumption.
  4. transitive To cause disruption to. For Lucifer, as Lord of Fire, was thought to suffer the most terrible pangs whenever the element of fire, over which he presided, was convulsed or agitated.

Translations

Every language

verb to violently shake

Españolconvulsionar, crispar
日本語振動させる shindō-saseru
Portuguêsconvulsionar, convelir
Françaisconvulser
Deutscherschüttern

verb to suffer violent uncontrollable contractions of the muscles

Españolconvulsionar

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Cite this
MLA

"convulse." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/convulse. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

convulse. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/convulse

Chicago

"convulse." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/convulse.

BibTeX
@misc{convulse_2026,
  title = {convulse},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/convulse},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}