Standard Lemma guide

fibrillate

verb · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • /ˈfʌɪbrɪleɪt/
  • /ˈfɪbrɪleɪt/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To make rapid irregular movements.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

make fine, irregular, rapid twitching movements

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • His heart fibrillated and he died

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: twitch, jerk

History

Etymology

From fibrilla.

Across languages

Translations

5 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: треперя неконтролируемо (treperja nekontroliruemo) — to make rapid irregular movements
  • Finnish: väristä — to make rapid irregular movements
  • German: fibrillieren — to make rapid irregular movements
  • Hungarian: fibrillál — to make rapid irregular movements
  • Romanian: fibrila — to make rapid irregular movements