convulsion
contortion of the body caused by violent, involuntary muscular contractions of the extremities, trunk, and head.
violent agitation or disturbance; commotion.
an outburst of great, uncontrollable laughter.
Origin of convulsion
1Words Nearby convulsion
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use convulsion in a sentence
NEW YORK — From the outside, the war in Ukraine is a disconnected stream of videos, sudden convulsions of fire, flame and smoke, or images of hollowed-out buildings gaping with views of abandoned offices, apartments and schoolrooms.
Women artists tell an ugly truth: The war within may never be over | Philip Kennicott | August 4, 2022 | Washington PostEvery moment it seemed as if the tent would not withstand the onslaught, that the fluttering canvas was in its death convulsions.
A 237-Hour Nightmare: Inside this Terrifying, Frostbitten First Ascent of Nepal’s Baruntse | cobrien | January 30, 2022 | Outside OnlineThe vaccine can cause mild side effects in some children, including fever and brief convulsions, said Katherine O’Brien, the WHO’s director of immunization, vaccines and biologicals.
WHO endorses use of first malaria vaccine | Paulina Firozi, Marisa Iati, Erin Cunningham | October 6, 2021 | Washington PostThe tremor intensified until, about halfway through the recitation, he fell to the floor in convulsions, having lost all control of his body, including bladder and bowels, in front of an audience of merciless adolescents.
How to Unlearn a Disease - Issue 103: Healthy Communication | Kelly Clancy | July 14, 2021 | NautilusElectrocution, convulsion, possession, all of the above, all at once.
It underscores how complicated this case—this social convulsion—ultimately is.
Hoodies, Trayvon Martin, and America’s Racial Fears | Robin Givhan | March 29, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTReconciliations are handled glancingly, if at all; the family simply continues, settling into new patterns after each convulsion.
Must Read New Fiction: ‘Arcadia,’ ‘Men in Space,’ ‘The O’Briens,’ ‘Hot Pink’ | Chloë Schama, Jacob Silverman, Wendy Smith, Daniel Roberts | March 23, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTShe had done with little things, and Isabel, with young curiosity, wondered in what convulsion the last of them had gone down.
Ancestors | Gertrude AthertonUttering these words, the good lady pointed distractedly to the cupboard, and underwent a convulsion from internal spasms.
Oliver Twist, Vol. II (of 3) | Charles DickensIt has been claimed that a shot would break the tube and end the little convulsion.
Outlines of the Earth's History | Nathaniel Southgate ShalerWhen the launch was under way Isabel told Gwynne of the blue flames that had danced over the marsh during the convulsion.
Ancestors | Gertrude AthertonWhat he dreaded was the spasm of dying—the convulsion that was to snap the thousand silver strings in the harp of life.
Julian Home | Dean Frederic W. Farrar
British Dictionary definitions for convulsion
/ (kənˈvʌlʃən) /
a violent involuntary contraction of a muscle or muscles
a violent upheaval, disturbance, or agitation, esp a social one
(usually plural) informal uncontrollable laughter: I was in convulsions
Derived forms of convulsion
- convulsionary, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for convulsion
A severe, often violent involuntary contraction of the muscles. Convulsions may be caused by high fevers or poisoning and often accompany such diseases such as epilepsy.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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