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Convulse

//kənˈvʌls// verb

Definitions

Verb
  1. 1
    To suffer violent involuntary contractions of the muscles, causing one's body to contort. intransitive

    "He realized she was crying. He could feel her body convulsing with little sobs and her cheek was wet where it brushed his."

  2. 2
    be overcome with laughter wordnet
  3. 3
    To be beset by political or social upheaval. figuratively, intransitive

    "The Persian Empire was convulsing with intrigue, revolt, and civil war."

  4. 4
    make someone convulse with laughter wordnet
  5. 5
    To cause (someone) to suffer such contractions, especially as a result of making them laugh heartily. transitive

    "But while he was convulsing all London with laughter, he was fast falling a victim to consumption."

Show 4 more definitions
  1. 6
    contract involuntarily, as in a spasm wordnet
  2. 7
    cause to contract wordnet
  3. 8
    shake uncontrollably wordnet
  4. 9
    move or stir about violently wordnet

Etymology

From Latin convulsus, past participle of convellere (“to pluck up, dislocate, convulse”), from com- (“together”) + vellere (“to pluck, pull”). Doublet of convel.

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