shudder

shudder — verb

1. to shake for a moment in a way you cannot control, because you have just seen, h

1.動詞不及物B1
釋義

to shake for a moment in a way you cannot control, because you have just seen, heard, or remembered something that causes a very strong unpleasant feeling such as fear, disgust, or horror

例句

Adina shuddered when she remembered the dark figure standing in the doorway.

common pattern: shudder when [remembering] something unpleasant

The old photograph of the crash site made Nia shudder with disgust.

collocation: shudder with [emotion]

同義詞
  • shiver

    more general body tremor; can be from cold or emotion, but 'shiver' is the preferred term for temperature

  • tremble

    suggests continuous, visible shaking often from fear, weakness, or cold; less sudden than 'shudder'

  • quake

    more violent, often whole-body shaking from intense fear; less common in everyday speech

文法句型

shudder + at + noun / -ing form

shudder + to + infinitive

shudder + with + emotion noun

用法筆記

Commonly followed by 'at', 'with', or 'to think'. The cause is always psychological (a memory, an image, a frightening idea), not simply physical cold — for temperature-related shaking, use 'shiver' instead.

常見錯誤

❌I shuddered from cold outside.
✅I shivered from cold outside.
💡'shudder' is driven by a thought or emotion; 'shiver' is the right word for shaking because of low temperature.

2. to shake hard with a noisy or jerky motion, used of vehicles, machines, or build

2.動詞不及物B1
釋義

to shake hard with a noisy or jerky motion, used of vehicles, machines, or buildings that are under sudden force or about to stop working

例句

The old steam train shuddered to a halt at the station platform.

pattern: shudder to a halt (of vehicles stopping roughly)

The factory floor shuddered as the heavy press stamped the steel panels.

同義詞
  • vibrate

    implies regular, rapid back-and-forth motion, often less violent than 'shudder'

  • rattle

    emphasises the noise of loose parts hitting each other

  • shake

    the most general word; lacks the sense of a sudden, violent spasm that 'shudder' has

文法句型

shudder + adverb/preposition of direction or result

用法筆記

The subject is always a physical object (vehicle, building, machine). Unlike sense 1, there is no psychological cause — the shaking comes from mechanical stress, impact, or vibration.

常見錯誤

❌I shuddered the table to remove the dust.
✅I shook the table to remove the dust.
💡'shudder' is intransitive; you cannot use it as a transitive verb to mean 'make something shake'.

shudder — noun