throb

[ throb ]

verb (used without object)

, throbbed, throb·bing.

1. to beat with increased force or rapidity, as the heart under the influence of emotion or excitement; palpitate.
2. to feel or exhibit emotion:

   He throbbed at the happy thought.

3. to pulsate; vibrate:

   The cello throbbed.

noun

1. the act of throbbing.
2. a violent beat or pulsation, as of the heart.
3. any pulsation or vibration:

   the throb of engines.

throb

/ θrɒb /

verb

1. to pulsate or beat repeatedly, esp with increased force

   to throb with pain

2. (of engines, drums, etc) to have a strong rhythmic vibration or beat

noun

1. the act or an instance of throbbing, esp a rapid pulsation as of the heart

   a throb of pleasure

Derived Forms

• ˈthrobbingly, adverb
• ˈthrobbing, adjective

Other Words From

• throb·ber noun
• out·throb verb (used with object) outthrobbed outthrobbing

Word History and Origins

Origin of throb¹

First recorded in 1325–75; unattested Middle English throbben, implied in present participle throbbant “throbbing”; further origin unknown

Word History and Origins

Origin of throb¹

C14: perhaps of imitative origin

Synonym Study

See pulsate.

Example Sentences

Again we heard the ship’s engines throb.

From Literature

You could hear the distant throb of the ship’s engines.

From Literature

In the often exquisite score, the strings throb and the woodwinds flutter.

From New York Times

That stylistic tangle — the serene throb of Gas’s “Pop,” the mesmeric pull of John Adams’s “The Dharma at Big Sur,” the magnetic oddities of Broadcast’s “Tender Buttons” — was the tentative first step of what became a friendship between Moran and Wang, and is now a family.

From New York Times

Their steady, constant advance meant anyone, rich or poor, could get close enough to the music to feel it throb through their body, said Isaac Edington, who coordinates Salvador’s festivities as president of its tourism agency.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• flutter
• pulse
• resonate
• tremble
• vibrate