VocabularyBasePractice words

Meaning & use

tremor

noun·Academic

Last updated

UK/ˈtremə/
US/ˈtremər/

Meanings

  1. nouncountablemedical

    A small, uncontrollable shaking of the body, especially the hands or head.

    Grammar: Countable: you can say a tremor or tremors; often used with have, develop, or feel.

    Patterns

    • have a tremor
    • develop a tremor
    • a tremor in something

    She noticed a slight tremor in her hands when she tried to hold the cup steady.

    The doctor asked whether he had ever had a tremor before.

    Stress can make a tremor worse.

  2. nouncountabletechnical

    A quick, slight shaking movement of something, such as the ground or a building.

    Grammar: Countable; often used with feel, sense, or a tremor ran through something.

    Patterns

    • a tremor ran through something
    • feel a tremor
    • a tremor of something

    We felt a small tremor just after midnight.

    A tremor ran through the old house as the train passed.

    The tremor was too weak to cause any damage.

  3. nouncountabletechnical

    A small earthquake, often one of a series before or after a larger one.

    Grammar: Countable; commonly used in the plural, tremors, for repeated small quakes.

    Patterns

    • a series of tremors
    • be hit by tremors
    • record a tremor

    The region experienced several tremors over the weekend.

    Scientists recorded a tremor of magnitude 3.2.

    Aftershocks and smaller tremors continued for days.

Word forms

pluraltremors

Common combinations

hand tremor
A hand tremor made it hard for him to write neatly.
essential tremor
Essential tremor is a common condition that often runs in families.
a tremor of excitement
A tremor of excitement went through the crowd.
earth tremor
The earth tremor was felt in several nearby towns.
slight tremor
There was a slight tremor in her voice as she spoke.

Synonyms and how they differ

shake
Shake is a general word for any quick movement back and forth; a tremor is usually smaller, repeated, and not controlled.
shudder
A shudder is a strong shaking from cold, fear, or disgust; a tremor is often weaker and may be medical.
quake
Quake is mostly used for earthquakes and sounds stronger and more dramatic than tremor.

Word family

tremulous adjective
Shaking slightly, especially because of nervousness or weakness.
tremble verb
To shake slightly and uncontrollably, often from fear, cold, or weakness.

Commonly confused: tremor or tremble? tremor or tremendous?

tremor vs tremble

Tremble is a verb meaning to shake; tremor is the noun for the shaking itself. Say 'Her hands tremble' or 'She has a tremor,' not 'She has a tremble.'

tremor vs tremendous

Tremendous means very great or extreme; it is not related in meaning to tremor, though the spelling looks similar.

Practice

After the earthquake, people reported feeling a slight ______ in the ground.

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “tremor”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Your sentence stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.

Explore more words