Library / English Dictionary

THROB

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

Irregular inflected forms: throbbed    , throbbing   

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

An instance of rapid strong pulsation (of the heart)

Example:

he felt a throbbing in his head

Synonyms:

pounding; throb; throbbing

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Hypernyms ("throb" is a kind of...):

beat; heartbeat; pulsation; pulse (the rhythmic contraction and expansion of the arteries with each beat of the heart)

Derivation:

throb (expand and contract rhythmically; beat rhythmically)

throb (pulsate or pound with abnormal force)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A deep pulsating type of pain

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Hypernyms ("throb" is a kind of...):

hurting; pain (a symptom of some physical hurt or disorder)

Derivation:

throb (pulsate or pound with abnormal force)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Expand and contract rhythmically; beat rhythmically

Example:

The baby's heart was pulsating again after the surgeon massaged it

Synonyms:

pulsate; pulse; throb

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Hypernyms (to "throb" is one way to...):

beat; pound; thump (move rhythmically)

Verb group:

beat; pulsate; quiver (move with or as if with a regular alternating motion)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Sentence examples:

The crowds throb in the streets

The streets throb with crowds

Derivation:

throb (an instance of rapid strong pulsation (of the heart))

Sense 2

Meaning:

Tremble convulsively, as from fear or excitement

Synonyms:

shiver; shudder; thrill; throb

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Hypernyms (to "throb" is one way to...):

tremble (move or jerk quickly and involuntarily up and down or sideways)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s

Sense 3

Meaning:

Pulsate or pound with abnormal force

Example:

Her heart was throbbing

Classified under:

Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling

Hypernyms (to "throb" is one way to...):

ache; hurt; smart (be the source of pain)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "throb"):

twang (twitch or throb with pain)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody's (body part) ----s

Derivation:

throb (an instance of rapid strong pulsation (of the heart))

throb (a deep pulsating type of pain)

throbbing (an instance of rapid strong pulsation (of the heart))

Credits

 Context examples: 

The pain is throbbing or pulsing, and is often on one side of the head.

(Migraine, NIH: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)

They're often described as a pulsing or throbbing in one side of the head.

(How Light Boosts Migraine Pain, NIH, US)

I glanced down at my hand, which was throbbing painfully, and then, for the first time, saw that my thumb had been cut off and that the blood was pouring from my wound.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

There’s something throbbing in my head now, like a docker’s hammer, but that morning I seemed to have all Niagara whizzing and buzzing in my ears.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

There you can see the very veins and the throb of the blood.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

I saw the flashing black eyes, and the passion-wasted figure; and I saw the scar, with its white track cutting through her lips, quivering and throbbing as she spoke.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

Day and night the ship throbbed to the tireless pulse of the propeller, and though one day was very like another, it was apparent to Buck that the weather was steadily growing colder.

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)

It worked and worked faster: I felt the pulses throb in my head and temples; but for nearly an hour it worked in chaos; and no result came of its efforts.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

On the third day out we were aware of a singular deep throbbing in the air, rhythmic and solemn, coming and going fitfully throughout the morning.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

I had remained indoors all day, for the weather had taken a sudden turn to rain, with high autumnal winds, and the jezail bullet which I had brought back in one of my limbs as a relic of my Afghan campaign throbbed with dull persistence.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)