tremor
Other forms: tremors; tremored; tremoring
A tremor is a trembling or shaking in a person or the Earth. If you're scared about speaking in public you might have a tremor in your voice — or wish that an earthquake tremor would open up the floor and swallow you first.
If you're nervous or feeling queasy as you read a paper aloud, you might get a tremor in your hands and the paper itself will start to shake. When an earthquake rumbles, a powerful tremor might make a building shake so that it looks as fragile as a piece of paper. Not every tremor comes from fear or seismic activity, though: you can tremor or quiver with excitement as you anticipate something enjoyable.
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an involuntary vibration (as if from illness or fear)
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shaking or trembling (usually resulting from weakness or stress or disease)
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types:
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essential tremor
tremor of unknown cause (usually of the hands and head) that develops in older people; often mistaken for Parkinsonism but is not life-threatening and can usually be kept under control
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essential tremor
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a small earthquake
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synonyms:
earth tremor, microseism
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types:
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aftershock
a tremor (or one of a series of tremors) occurring after the main shock of an earthquake
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foreshock
a tremor preceding an earthquake
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type of:
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earthquake, quake, seism, temblor
shaking and vibration at the surface of the earth resulting from underground movement along a fault plane of from volcanic activity
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aftershock
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shake with seismic vibrations
/ˈtrɛmər/
/ˈtrɛmə/
Vocabulary lists containing tremor
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