Standard Lemma guide

tremor

noun · verb · 8 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

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˈtɹɛmə/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: /ˈtɹɛmɚ/
  • rhymes with -ɛmə(ɹ)
  • pin-pen-merger: /ˈtɹɪmɚ/
  • homophone: trimmer
  • rhymes with -ɪmə(ɹ)
  • obsolete: /ˈtɹiːmə(ɹ)/
  • CMU ARPABET: T R EH1 M ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A shake, quiver, or vibration.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • She felt a tremor in her stomach before going on stage.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A shake, quiver, or vibration.

A rhythmic, uncontrollable shaking of all or part of the body due to partial muscle contractions.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: medicine, sciences

Examples

  • The optometrist has been losing patients ever since he developed tremors in his hand.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

An earthquake.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Did you feel the tremor this morning?

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To shake or quiver excessively and rapidly or involuntarily; to tremble.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

an involuntary vibration (as if from illness or fear)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: shudder

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: vibration, quiver, quivering

6

noun

Meaning 6

a small earthquake

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: earth tremor, microseism

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: earthquake, quake, temblor, seism

Narrower terms: aftershock, foreshock

7

noun

Meaning 7

shaking or trembling (usually resulting from weakness or stress or disease)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: shaking, shakiness, trembling, quiver, quivering, vibration, palpitation

Narrower terms: essential tremor

8

verb

Meaning 8

shake with seismic vibrations

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The earth was quaking

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: quake

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: shake, agitate

History

Etymology

From Middle English tremour (“fright”), from Anglo-Norman tremour and Old French tremor, from Latin tremor.

Across languages

Translations

131 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: потръпване (potrǎpvane) — shake, quiver, or vibration
  • Chamicuro: ka'nakosilo — shake, quiver, or vibration
  • Chinese Mandarin: 哆嗦 (duōsuo) — shake, quiver, or vibration
  • Chinese Mandarin: 顫抖 /颤抖 (chàndǒu or zhàndǒu) — shake, quiver, or vibration
  • Chinese Mandarin: 發抖 /发抖 (fādǒu) — shake, quiver, or vibration
  • Chinese Mandarin: 顫慄 /颤栗 (zhànlì) — shake, quiver, or vibration
  • Chinese Mandarin: 震顫 /震颤 (zhènchàn) — shake, quiver, or vibration
  • Chinese Mandarin: 震動 /震动 (zhèndòng) — shake, quiver, or vibration
  • Czech: třes — shake, quiver, or vibration
  • Czech: otřes — shake, quiver, or vibration
  • Emilian: tarmarî — shake, quiver, or vibration
  • Emilian: termarìa — shake, quiver, or vibration
  • Emilian: tarmarìa — shake, quiver, or vibration
  • Emilian: tarmarôla — shake, quiver, or vibration
  • Finnish: väreily — shake, quiver, or vibration
  • Finnish: vavahtelu — shake, quiver, or vibration
  • Finnish: tärinä — shake, quiver, or vibration
  • French: tremblement — shake, quiver, or vibration
  • French: trépidation — shake, quiver, or vibration
  • Friulian: trimôr — shake, quiver, or vibration
  • Galician: tremor — shake, quiver, or vibration
  • German: Zittern — shake, quiver, or vibration
  • Greek: τρεμούλα (tremoúla) — shake, quiver, or vibration
  • Greek: ρίγος (rígos) — shake, quiver, or vibration
  • Haitian Creole: tranbleman — shake, quiver, or vibration
  • Hungarian: reszketés — shake, quiver, or vibration
  • Hungarian: remegés — shake, quiver, or vibration
  • Irish: creathán — shake, quiver, or vibration
  • Italian: tremore — shake, quiver, or vibration
  • Japanese: 震え (furue) — shake, quiver, or vibration
  • Japanese: 揺れ (yure) — shake, quiver, or vibration
  • Korean: 떨림 (tteollim) — shake, quiver, or vibration
  • Latin: tremor — shake, quiver, or vibration
  • Māori: ngāueue — shake, quiver, or vibration
  • Māori: wheoi — shake, quiver, or vibration
  • Persian: لرزش (larzeš) — shake, quiver, or vibration
  • Polish: drżenie — shake, quiver, or vibration
  • Portuguese: tremor — shake, quiver, or vibration
  • Russian: дрожь (drožʹ) — shake, quiver, or vibration
  • Russian: дрожа́ние (drožánije) — shake, quiver, or vibration
  • Sicilian: trimuri — shake, quiver, or vibration
  • Spanish: temblor — shake, quiver, or vibration
  • Swedish: skakning — shake, quiver, or vibration
  • Walloon: tronnaedje — shake, quiver, or vibration
  • Walloon: tronna — shake, quiver, or vibration
  • Bulgarian: тремор (tremor) — uncontrollable bodily shaking
  • Chinese Mandarin: 哆嗦 (duōsuo) — uncontrollable bodily shaking
  • Chinese Mandarin: 顫抖 /颤抖 (chàndǒu or zhàndǒu) — uncontrollable bodily shaking
  • Chinese Mandarin: 發抖 /发抖 (fādǒu) — uncontrollable bodily shaking
  • Chinese Mandarin: 顫慄 /颤栗 (zhànlì) — uncontrollable bodily shaking
  • Chinese Mandarin: 震顫 /震颤 (zhènchàn) — uncontrollable bodily shaking
  • Chinese Mandarin: 震動 /震动 (zhèndòng) — uncontrollable bodily shaking
  • Finnish: vapina — uncontrollable bodily shaking
  • Finnish: tärinä — uncontrollable bodily shaking
  • French: trémulation — uncontrollable bodily shaking
  • French: tremblement — uncontrollable bodily shaking
  • French: trépidation — uncontrollable bodily shaking
  • German: Tremor — uncontrollable bodily shaking
  • Ancient Greek: τρόμος (trómos) — uncontrollable bodily shaking
  • Hungarian: remegés — uncontrollable bodily shaking
  • Irish: crith — uncontrollable bodily shaking
  • Italian: tremore — uncontrollable bodily shaking
  • Japanese: 振戦 — uncontrollable bodily shaking
  • Japanese: 震顫 — uncontrollable bodily shaking
  • Japanese: 振顫 (shinsen) — uncontrollable bodily shaking
  • Korean: 진전 (jinjeon) — uncontrollable bodily shaking
  • Latin: tremor — uncontrollable bodily shaking
  • Polish: drżenie — uncontrollable bodily shaking
  • Polish: tremor — uncontrollable bodily shaking
  • Azerbaijani: təkan — earthquake
  • Azerbaijani: yeraltı təkan — earthquake
  • Bulgarian: леко земетресение (leko zemetresenie) — earthquake
  • Chinese Mandarin: 地震 (dìzhèn) — earthquake
  • Czech: otřes — earthquake
  • Emilian: taramòt — earthquake
  • Emilian: teremòt — earthquake
  • Esperanto: tertremo — earthquake
  • Esperanto: seismo — earthquake
  • Esperanto: sismo — earthquake
  • Finnish: maan vavahtelu — earthquake
  • French: tremblement de terre — earthquake
  • French: secousse sismique — earthquake
  • French: trémor — earthquake
  • French: trépidation — earthquake
  • German: Beben — earthquake
  • German: Erdbeben — earthquake
  • Greek: σεισμός (seismós) — earthquake
  • Ancient Greek: σεισμός (seismós) — earthquake
  • Hawaiian: ōlaʻi — earthquake
  • Higaonon: linog — earthquake
  • Hungarian: rengés — earthquake
  • Hungarian: rázkódás — earthquake
  • Hungarian: lökés — earthquake
  • Irish: creathán talún — earthquake
  • Italian: terremoto — earthquake
  • Japanese: 地震 — earthquake
  • Korean: 지진 (jijin) — earthquake
  • Latin: terrae mōtus — earthquake
  • Māori: rūpaku — earthquake
  • Nepali: कम्पन (kampan) — earthquake
  • Nepali: भूकम्प (bhūkampa) — earthquake
  • Polish: wstrząs — earthquake
  • Portuguese: tremor — earthquake
  • Quechua: pacha kuyuy — earthquake
  • Quechua: allpa chukchuy — earthquake
  • Russian: сотрясе́ние (sotrjasénije) — earthquake
  • Russian: толчки́ (tolčkí) — earthquake
  • Serbo-Croatian: potres — earthquake
  • Spanish: temblor — earthquake
  • Swedish: skalv — earthquake
  • Swedish: jordskalv — earthquake
  • Vietnamese: sự run rẩy — earthquake
  • Chinese Mandarin: 哆嗦 (duōsuo) — to shake or quiver; to tremble
  • Chinese Mandarin: 顫抖 /颤抖 (chàndǒu or zhàndǒu) — to shake or quiver; to tremble
  • Finnish: värähdellä — to shake or quiver; to tremble
  • Finnish: väreillä — to shake or quiver; to tremble
  • Finnish: vavahdella — to shake or quiver; to tremble
  • French: trembler — to shake or quiver; to tremble
  • German: zittern — to shake or quiver; to tremble
  • Greek: τρέμω (trémo) — to shake or quiver; to tremble
  • Greek: ριγώ (rigó) — to shake or quiver; to tremble
  • Hungarian: reszket — to shake or quiver; to tremble
  • Hungarian: remeg — to shake or quiver; to tremble
  • Japanese: 震える (furueru) — to shake or quiver; to tremble
  • Māori: ngāueue — to shake or quiver; to tremble
  • Māori: ngaue — to shake or quiver; to tremble
  • Polish: drżeć — to shake or quiver; to tremble
  • Portuguese: tremer — to shake or quiver; to tremble
  • Russian: дрожа́ть (drožátʹ) — to shake or quiver; to tremble
  • Russian: трясти́сь (trjastísʹ) — to shake or quiver; to tremble
  • Swedish: skaka — to shake or quiver; to tremble