throb

English

Etymology

From Middle English throbben; possibly of imitative origin.

Pronunciation

• enPR: thrŏb
  • (UK) IPA^(key): /θɹɒb/

    • Audio (Southern England)

      (file)

  • (US, Canada) IPA^(key): /θɹɑb/
  • (General Australian) IPA^(key): /θɹɔb/
• Rhymes: -ɒb

Verb

throb (third-person singular simple present throbs, present participle throbbing, simple past and past participle throbbed)

1. (intransitive) To pound or beat rapidly or violently.

   (Can we add an example for this sense?)

2. (intransitive) To vibrate or pulsate with a steady rhythm. (Can we verify⁽⁺⁾ this sense?)
3. (intransitive, of a body part) To pulse (often painfully) in time with the circulation of blood.

   I have a throbbing headache.

4. (figurative, with "with") To exhibit an attitude, trait, or affect powerfully and profoundly.
   • 1977 April 23, Arlene Silva, “Suzanne Fox's Silent Stories”, in Gay Community News, page 10:

     Having been married and divorced, Suzanne throbs with attitudes of strength, liberation and equality.

Derived terms

• heart-throbbing
• throbbingly

Translations

to pound or beat rapidly or violently

• Arabic: خَفَقَ (ḵafaqa)
• Bulgarian: тупкам (bg) (tupkam), туптя (bg) (tuptja)
• Czech: bušit (cs) impf, bít (cs) impf
• Dutch: kloppen (nl), bonzen (nl)
• Finnish: jyskyttää (fi), tykyttää (fi)
• French: battre (fr), palpiter (fr)
• Galician: latexar (gl)
• German: klopfen (de), schlagen (de)
• Greek:

  Ancient: σφύζω (sphúzō), σκαρίζω (skarízō)

• Italian: battere (it), picchiare (it)
• Japanese: どきどき (ja), ドキドキ
• Kabuverdianu: palpita
• Kapampángan: pintig, katug, tugingtuging, karug-karug
• Maori: whētuki, panapana, kapakapa
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: dunke, banke (no)

• Polish: tętnić impf
• Portuguese: latejar (pt)
• Romanian: palpita (ro)
• Russian: би́ться (ru) (bítʹsja), стуча́ться (ru) (stučátʹsja)
• Scottish Gaelic: plosg
• Slovak: tĺcť
• Spanish: palpitar (es)
• Swedish: bulta (sv), dunka (sv)
• Vietnamese: phập phồng (vi)

to vibrate or pulsate with a steady rhythm

• Arabic: خَفَقَ (ḵafaqa), نَبَضَ (nabaḍa)
• Bulgarian: пулсирам (bg) (pulsiram)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 搏動／搏动 (zh) (bódòng)

• Czech: tepat impf, bušit (cs) impf, bít (cs) impf
• Dutch: trillen (nl), vibreren (nl)
• Finnish: jyskyttää (fi), sykkiä (fi)
• French: vibrer (fr), résonner (fr), battre (fr)
• Galician: latexar (gl), palpitar (gl)
• German: pochen (de), klopfen (de), pulsieren (de)
• Greek:

  Ancient: σφύζω (sphúzō), σκαρίζω (skarízō)

• Hungarian: lüktet (hu)
• Irish: preab, frithbhuail
• Italian: pulsare (it)
• Japanese: どきどきする (ja) (dokidoki suru)
• Kabuverdianu: palpita
• Kapampángan: tugingtuging-pipintig-pintig
• Latin: palpitō
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: banke (no), slå (no)

• Portuguese: pulsar (pt)
• Romanian: pulsa (ro), vibra (ro)
• Russian: би́ться (ru) (bítʹsja), пульси́ровать (ru) (pulʹsírovatʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: plosg
• Slovak: tĺcť

Noun

throb (plural throbs)

1. A beating, vibration or palpitation.
   • 1749, [John Cleland], “(Please specify the letter or volume)”, in Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure [Fanny Hill], London: […] G. Fenton [i.e., Fenton and Ralph Griffiths] […], →OCLC:

     My bosom was now bare, and rising in the warmest throbs, presented to his sight and feeling the firm hard swell of a pair of young breasts, such as may be imagin'd of a girl not sixteen, fresh out of the country

Derived terms

• throbber
• throbby
• heartthrob
• wind throb

Translations

beating, vibration or palpitation

• Arabic: خَفَقَان m (ḵafaqān)

  Hijazi Arabic: خَفَقان m (ḵafagān)

• Bulgarian: туптене (bg) n (tuptene), пулсиране (bg) n (pulsirane)
• Dutch: geklop (nl)
• Finnish: tykytys (fi), jyskytys (fi), sykintä (fi)
• French: battement (fr) m, pulsation (fr) f
• German: Pochen n, Klopfen (de) n
• Hungarian: lüktetés (hu)
• Irish: buille m, cuisle f
• Italian: battito (it) m, palpito (it) m, pulsazione (it) f
• Portuguese: latejamento m
• Romanian: pulsație (ro) f, palpitație (ro) f, vibrație (ro) f, vibrare (ro) f
• Russian: пульса́ция (ru) f (pulʹsácija), бие́ние (ru) n (bijénije)
• Scottish Gaelic: plosg m, plosgadh m
• Spanish: palpitar (es)
• Welsh: curiad m

Anagrams

• Borth, broth