Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- intransitive verb To beat rapidly or violently, as the heart; pound.
- intransitive verb To feel or be subjected to a pulsating pain.
- intransitive verb To vibrate, pulsate, or sound with a steady pronounced rhythm.
- noun A beating, pulsating, or vibration.
from The Century Dictionary.
- To beat or pulsate, as the heart, but with increased or quickened force or rapidity; palpitate.
- To quiver or vibrate.
- noun A beat or strong pulsation; a violent beating, as of the heart and arteries; a palpitation: as, a throb of pleasure or of pain.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- intransitive verb To beat, or pulsate, with more than usual force or rapidity; to beat in consequence of agitation; to palpitate; -- said of the heart, pulse, etc.
- noun A beat, or strong pulsation, as of the heart and arteries; a violent beating; a papitation
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb intransitive To
pound orbeat rapidly orviolently - verb intransitive To
vibrate orpulsate with asteady rhythm - noun A
beating ,vibration orpalpitation
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a deep pulsating type of pain
- noun an instance of rapid strong pulsation (of the heart)
- verb tremble convulsively, as from fear or excitement
- verb expand and contract rhythmically; beat rhythmically
- verb pulsate or pound with abnormal force
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word throb.
Examples
-
The steady _throb -- throb -- throb_ of the propeller was again shaking the yacht as she took up her journey.
The Pirate of Panama A Tale of the Fight for Buried Treasure William MacLeod Raine 1912
-
As I stood waiting and listening for the enemy's order to attack, I could feel my heart go _throb, throb, throb, throb_, so hard that I seemed to be hearing it at the same time making a dull echo in my brain.
Charge! A Story of Briton and Boer George Manville Fenn 1870
-
At last one word escaped from his lips, and in an instant -- _throb, throb, throb, throb_ -- there was a heavy beating on his ribs, a joyous whining sound greeted his ears, and a cold nose and wet tongue were playing about his face.
Sappers and Miners The Flood beneath the Sea George Manville Fenn 1870
-
I'll be there steady ready to take up the fight of mother and daughter divided unsatisfied forever antagonistic cry sorrow let your ovary throb from the pain of my absence
-
I'll be there steady ready to take up the fight of mother and daughter divided unsatisfied forever antagonistic cry sorrow let your ovary throb from the pain of my absence
Archive 2009-05-01 2009
-
And between the last ‘ob’ in the word throb and the words now written, I have passed a delicious period of perhaps an hour, perhaps a minute, I know not how long, thinking of that holy first love and of her who inspired it.
-
And between the last 'ob' in the word throb and the words now written, I have passed a delicious period of perhaps an hour, perhaps a minute, I know not how long, thinking of that holy first love and of her who inspired it.
The Fitz-Boodle Papers William Makepeace Thackeray 1837
-
a ruptured disk, the feet or knees whose throb is just the way it is.
WILLIAM DAVID BARNETT 10 NOVEMBER 1958 - 19 JUNE 2001 Maggie Jochild 2007
-
I'm reaching the major changes stage, and trying to figure out how to make it all work makes my brain throb. (wum, wum, wum.)
-
Something uplifting in the criminal action of the girl so touched Frederick that the nearness of tears called a throb to his throat.
Tess of the Storm Country Grace Miller White 1912
yarb commented on the word throb
Citation on willowherb.
June 22, 2008
bilby commented on the word throb
When he takes the place of the gods,
And chaos is his and the years,
And the thunderous histories of worlds
Throb loud for his ears?
- Maxwell Anderson, 'Full Circle'.
September 21, 2009