convulse

Synonym Chooser

How is the word convulse different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of convulse are agitate, rock, and shake. While all these words mean "to move up and down or to and fro with some violence," convulse suggests a violent pulling or wrenching as of a body in a paroxysm.

spectators were convulsed with laughter

In what contexts can agitate take the place of convulse?

The synonyms agitate and convulse are sometimes interchangeable, but agitate suggests a violent and prolonged tossing or stirring.

an ocean agitated by storms

When could rock be used to replace convulse?

In some situations, the words rock and convulse are roughly equivalent. However, rock suggests a swinging or swaying motion resulting from violent impact or upheaval.

the whole city was rocked by the explosion

Where would shake be a reasonable alternative to convulse?

While the synonyms shake and convulse are close in meaning, shake often carries a further implication of a particular purpose.

shake well before using

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of convulse The goat died a day later, according to the affidavit, after convulsing and showing signs of respiratory distress. Liam Quinn, People.com, 30 Dec. 2024 After the Southport attack, Britain was convulsed by a series of riots, as disinformation about the attacker’s identity swirled on social media and messaging apps. Megan Specia, New York Times, 20 Jan. 2025 In the predawn hours of Feb. 6, 2023, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake convulsed the ground beneath the Turkish borderlands where more than a million Syrians lived. Alia Malek, New York Times, 17 Jan. 2025 She was recalled in November as fears about crime convulsed her city, and restaurants such as In-N-Out and Denny’s closed local outlets, citing safety concerns. Jessica Garrison, Los Angeles Times, 16 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for convulse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for convulse
Verb
  • George may be wild about her, but his trust in her is shaken.
    Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 6 Mar. 2025
  • Among the official White House records housed in the Jimmy Carter Library and Museum, in Atlanta, is a photograph of the late president shaking hands with an 80-year-old Black schoolteacher, Septima Poinsette Clark.
    Elaine Weiss, The Atlantic, 6 Mar. 2025
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
Verb
  • In sumptuously vibrating chords in the first movement of Schubert’s Fantasy, Olafsson’s touch was a little wetter and more muted, Wang’s percussive and as coolly etched as a polygraph.
    Zachary Woolfe, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2025
  • Even the film’s basic exposition, showing Anna working in Klaus’s household and receiving her fateful instructions from Hansen, is richly suggestive of the turmoil vibrating beneath the orderly domestic surface.
    Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • The Tesla doesn’t have that collaborative aspect and will shut off if the driver jerks the wheel.
    Robert Ferris, CNBC, 4 Feb. 2025
  • There are numerous moments where she is lost in a dream or a memory before suddenly jerking awake, often too clearly delineating the boundaries in a film ostensibly about its main character’s delusions.
    Ryan Swen, Variety, 18 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • When people are going through withdrawal from drugs, symptoms can generally include agitation, diarrhea, nausea, sweating, chills, stomach cramps, muscle aches, trembling, appetite changes, sweating, fatigue, depression, vomiting, seizures and intense cravings, experts said.
    Kristen Rogers, CNN, 28 Feb. 2025
  • The ground from which their enchanted garden grows, is trembling.
    Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 10 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • Greg Bodine’s hands quivered and his voice trembled.
    Gabby Herzig, The Athletic, 16 Aug. 2024
  • Cloudlike bursts and quivering lines give a sense of the physicality of sign language.
    Aruna D’Souza, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Convulse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/convulse. Accessed 15 Mar. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on convulse

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