Definition of “shudder” - English Dictionary

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“shudder” in English

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shudderverb [ I ]

uk ​ /ˈʃʌd.ər/ us ​ /ˈʃʌd.ɚ/

C2 to shake suddenly with very small movements because of a very unpleasant thought or feeling:

The sight of so much blood made him shudder.
She shuddered at the thought of kissing him.

› When something shudders, it shakes violently and quickly:

I heard a massive explosion and the ground shuddered beneath me.
There was a screech of brakes and the bus shuddered to a halt (= shook violently and stopped).

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Idiom(s)

I shudder to think
shudder to a halt

shuddernoun [ C ]

uk ​ /ˈʃʌd.ər/ us ​ /ˈʃʌd.ɚ/

Idiom(s)

send shudders/a shudder down your spine

(Definition of “shudder” from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

“shudder” in American English

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shudderverb [ I ]

us ​ /ˈʃʌd·ər/

› to shake suddenly and briefly, esp. because of an unpleasant thought or feeling:

I shuddered, remembering the frightening stories I had heard.

shuddernoun [ C ]

us ​ /ˈʃʌd·ər/

› a sudden and brief shaking movement of the body, esp. because of an unpleasant emotion:

When the car flipped over, a shudder went through the crowd watching the race.
Just thinking about that film sends shudders down my spine.

(Definition of “shudder” from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

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