shudder

1 of 2

verb

shud·​der ˈshə-dər 

shuddered; shuddering ˈshə-d(ə-)riŋ 

intransitive verb

: to tremble convulsively : shiver, quiver

shudder

2 of 2

noun

: an act of shuddering

shuddery

ˈshə-d(ə-)rē 

adjective

Synonyms

Verb

• agitate
• bucket
• convulse
• jerk
• jiggle
• joggle
• jolt
• jounce
• judder [chiefly British]
• quake
• quiver
• shake
• vibrate
• wobble
• wabble

Noun

• quiver
• shiver
• tremble

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

Oliveira’s films shudder with the mighty currents of history, whether long-ago conflicts that leave their traces in cities or ones, in Portugal or elsewhere, that leave their marks in living memory. —Richard Brody, New Yorker, 26 Mar. 2025

Workout partners on the opposite side of the heavy bag shuddered and held on for dear life as Foreman slammed into it with his gloved fists. —Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2025

Noun

Photos by Sinna Nasseri By Sunday morning on the Sunset Strip, there was no escaping the wail of West Hollywood: the rumble of Harley Davidsons; the shudder of police helicopters; the blast of bass-heavy hip-hop from the guts of a Porsche convertible. —Edmund Vallance, AFAR Media, 18 Mar. 2025

From a distance, Macdonald’s own life has the shudder of a dark fairy tale, answered by the quaking in his books. —Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 3 Mar. 2025

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

Phrases Containing shudder

• shudder to think (of)

Rhymes for shudder

• rudder
• scudder
• udder

Kids Definition

shudder

1 of 2 verb

shud·​der ˈshəd-ər 

shuddered; shuddering -(ə-)riŋ 

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

-(ə-)rē 

adjective

Medical Definition

shudder

intransitive verb

shud·​der ˈshəd-ər 

shuddered; shuddering

: to tremble convulsively : shiver

shudder noun