Words / B2

TREMBL/ˈtrembl/

To tremble is to shake slightly from fear, cold, or weakness: tremble with fear; a trembling hand. Shake is wider; shiver is often from cold; rumble is a low sound. Her hands trembled as she read the result. Mix-up: tumble (fall); assemble. Do not write tremble for a building collapsing (that is collapse / shake in an earthquake report).

Meaning

To shake slightly because of fear, cold, or weakness.

Examples

• “Her hands trembled as she read the result, the narrative said.”
• “The aftershock made the lamps tremble, which is the slight-shake sense, not a full collapse.”

Good to know

tremble with + fear / cold; a trembling + noun. Wider: shake. Cold: shiver. Trap: tumble. Literature, news, and orals. A slight shake, not a fall.

Near in meaning

shake

New