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  1. convulse love

Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. v. To shake or agitate violently: tremors that convulsed the countryside; when civil war convulsed the nation. See Synonyms at agitate.
  2. v. To affect with irregular and involuntary muscular contractions; throw into convulsions.
  3. v. To cause to shake with laughter or strong emotion.
  4. v. To become affected by or as if by convulsions; shake.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. To draw or contract spasmodically or involuntarily, as the muscular parts of an animal body; affect by irregular spasms: as, his whole frame was convulsed with agony.
  2. To shake; disturb by violent irregular action; cause great or violent agitation in.

Wiktionary

  1. v. transitive To violently shake or agitate.
  2. v. transitive To create great laughter.

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. v. To contract violently and irregulary, as the muscular parts of an animal body; to shake with irregular spasms, as in excessive laughter, or in agony from grief or pain.
  2. v. To agitate greatly; to shake violently.

WordNet 3.0

  1. v. be overcome with laughter
  2. v. cause to contract
  3. v. move or stir about violently
  4. v. make someone convulse with laughter
  5. v. contract involuntarily, as in a spasm
  6. v. shake uncontrollably

Etymologies

  1. From Latin convulsus, past participle of convellere ("to pluck up, dislocate, convulse"), from com- ("together") + vellere ("to pluck, pull") (Wiktionary)
  2. Latin convellere, convuls-, to pull violently : com-, intensive pref.; see com- + vellere, to pull. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

Examples

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synonyms (6)

Words with the same meaning

  1. tear
  1. shake
  1. rend
  1. agitate
  1. disturb
  1. shaken

hypernyms (12)

Words that are more generic or abstract

  1. laugh
  2. express mirth
  1. express joy
  2. compress
  1. press
  2. compact
  1. squeeze
  2. contract
  1. constrict
  2. amuse
  1. shake
  2. agitate

same context (15)

Words that are found in similar contexts

  1. vivocity
  2. called?
  3. mad
  1. mole-like
  2. deep
  3. carolling
  1. renovator
  2. expedtion
  3. water-cress
  1. respire
  2. curdle
  3. boist'rous
  1. Sydney
  2. receiv
  3. a-tellin

reverse dictionary (2)

Words that contain this word in their definition

  1. convulsive
  1. convulse

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  • PossibleUnderscore “The rising power of the United States in world affairs requires, not a more compliant press, but a relentless barrage of facts and criticism. Our job in this age, as I see it, is not to serve as cheerleaders for our side in the present world struggle but to help the largest possible number of people to see the realities of the changing and convulsive world in which American policy must operate.�?
    James Reston Jul 19, 2009

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‘convulse’ has been looked up 1682 times, loved by 3 people, added to 20 lists, commented on 1 time, and has a Scrabble score of 13.