palpitate
verb
pal·pi·tate
ˈpal-pə-ˌtāt 
palpitated; palpitating
: to beat rapidly and strongly : throb
My heart began to palpitate when I was announced as the winner.
Examples of palpitate in a Sentence
My heart began to palpitate when I was announced as the winner.
the man's heart began to palpitate, and he feared another attack was coming on
Recent Examples on the Web
Representing heart-palpitating romance is the main storyline: the passion of Megha’s son Naveen (Carol Mazhuvancheril) for his boyfriend, Keshav (Noah Israel), a fellow Hindu who happens to be Caucasian.
—
Celia Wren, Washington Post, 14 Mar. 2023
The matte, phosphorescent sigils painted onto his robe appeared to palpitate in the low light.
—Kent Russell, Harper’s Magazine , 25 May 2022
In one of the raciest vignettes, a man buys and eats fresh dumplings on a train, intermittently palpitating his sore gums with his fingers.
—Sophie Pinkham, The New York Review of Books, 8 May 2020
My heart palpitates at the seriousness of his tone.
—Kelly Meldrum, Washington Post, 30 Sep. 2019
Angelica Hernández’s heart hasn’t stopped palpitating for a week.
—Washington Post, 11 Jan. 2020
Angelica Hernández's heart hasn't stopped palpitating for a week.
—Author: Arelis R. Hernández, Cristina Corujo, Anchorage Daily News, 12 Jan. 2020
The past three seasons, their games were marked by palpitating comebacks.
—New York Times, 23 Nov. 2019
Anyway, back to the point: Rachel Bilson bumped into Adam Brody at JFK Airport, and the hearts of millennials across the globe promptly stopped, palpitated, or completely exploded.
—Emily Dixon, Marie Claire, 14 Aug. 2019
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Celia Wren, Washington Post, 14 Mar. 2023
The matte, phosphorescent sigils painted onto his robe appeared to palpitate in the low light.
—Kent Russell, Harper’s Magazine , 25 May 2022
In one of the raciest vignettes, a man buys and eats fresh dumplings on a train, intermittently palpitating his sore gums with his fingers.
—Sophie Pinkham, The New York Review of Books, 8 May 2020
My heart palpitates at the seriousness of his tone.
—Kelly Meldrum, Washington Post, 30 Sep. 2019
Angelica Hernández’s heart hasn’t stopped palpitating for a week.
—Washington Post, 11 Jan. 2020
Angelica Hernández's heart hasn't stopped palpitating for a week.
—Author: Arelis R. Hernández, Cristina Corujo, Anchorage Daily News, 12 Jan. 2020
The past three seasons, their games were marked by palpitating comebacks.
—New York Times, 23 Nov. 2019
Anyway, back to the point: Rachel Bilson bumped into Adam Brody at JFK Airport, and the hearts of millennials across the globe promptly stopped, palpitated, or completely exploded.
—Emily Dixon, Marie Claire, 14 Aug. 2019
Cite this Entry
“Palpitate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/palpitate. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
palpitate
verb
pal·pi·tate
ˈpal-pə-ˌtāt
palpitated; palpitating
Medical Definition
palpitate
intransitive verb
pal·pi·tate
ˈpal-pə-ˌtāt
palpitated; palpitating
: to beat rapidly, irregularly, or forcibly
—used especially of the heart
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