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

But that steady flow of income and improvement came to a shuddering halt on October 7 as Hamas militants poured across the Gaza border and began their murder and kidnap spree across southern Israel. —Kocha Olarn, CNN, 21 Feb. 2025

Mount Spurr, an Alaskan volcano shuddering with small earthquakes for 10 months, could erupt soon. —Dan Perry, Newsweek, 13 Feb. 2025

Noun

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

And while any step back in funding by the world's richest economy is going to send shudders through the sector, this pullback came at a particularly disastrous time. —Belinda Luscombe, TIME, 7 Feb. 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