Meaning & use
Quaver
Last updated
To shake or tremble slightly, especially describing a person's voice affected by emotion.
See it in a sentence
Her voice began to quaver as she read the eulogy aloud.
The old man's hands quavered as he signed his name.
A note on using this word
In British musical notation, quaver is also the name for an eighth note, unrelated in origin but similarly suggesting a brief, fluttering sound.
Words with a similar meaning
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
steady
Another way to use it
2. noun
In British English, a musical note with the time value of an eighth of a whole note.
The melody was written mostly in quavers and semiquavers.
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