ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Convulse

Definition, Meaning & Examples

Pronunciation /kənˈvʌls/ · Part of speech verb

Quick meaning: Convulse is a verb meaning (intransitive) To suffer violent involuntary contractions of the muscles, causing one's body to contort.

Meaning

(intransitive) To suffer violent involuntary contractions of the muscles, causing one's body to contort.

More Meanings

  1. (intransitive, figurative) To be beset by political or social upheaval.
  2. (transitive) To cause (someone) to suffer such contractions, especially as a result of making them laugh heartily.
  3. (transitive) To cause disruption to.

Example Sentences

The Persian Empire was convulsing with intrigue, revolt, and civil war.
But while he was convulsing all London with laughter, he was fast falling a victim to consumption.
He realized she was crying. He could feel her body convulsing with little sobs and her cheek was wet where it brushed his.
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.

Word Forms

Synonyms for convulse

Depending on context, synonyms include toss, thrash, thresh, slash.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include thrash, toss, slash, thresh, contort, cramp.

Related Dictionary Tools

Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.