Meanings
verbthrob (third-person singular simple present throbs, present participle throbbing, simple past and past participle throbbed)
present singular third person throbs · participle present throbbing · participle past throbbed · past throbbed
- intransitiveTo pulse (often painfully) in time with the circulation of blood.
I have a throbbing headache.
- figurativelyTo exhibit an attitude, trait, or affect powerfully and profoundly.
The bass in the song made the entire room throb with energy.
2 more examples
Having been married and divorced, Suzanne throbs with attitudes of strength, liberation and equality.
1977 April 23, Arlene Silva, “Suzanne Fox's Silent Stories”, in Gay Community News, page 10This is a country where nightclubs in Thimbu, the capital, throb with techno music, but where smoking is illegal and television did not arrive until 1999.
2008 March 21, Tim Sullivan, “Bhutanese reluctantly stepping into world of democracy”, in The New York Times (Asia Pacific section), New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 13 Dec 2013
nounthrob (plural throbs)
plural throbs
- A beating, vibration or palpitation.
He could feel a dull throb in his head from the tension.
1 more example
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
Fanny Hill
1749, [John Cleland], “(Please specify the letter or volume)”, in Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure [Fanny Hill], London: […] [Thomas Parker] for G. Fenton [i.e., Fenton and Ralph Griffiths] […], →OCLC
Synonyms & antonyms
nounan instance of rapid strong pulsation (of the heart)
verbexpand and contract rhythmically; beat rhythmically
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Middle Englishthrobben
- Englishthrob
From Middle English throbben; possibly of imitative origin. Cognate with Scots thrab (“to throb”). Compare also drub.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek σφύζω, σκαρίζω
- σφύζω (sphúzō)to pound or beat rapidly or violently
- σκαρίζω (skarízō)to pound or beat rapidly or violently
- σφύζω (sphúzō)to vibrate or pulsate with a steady rhythm
- σκαρίζω (skarízō)to vibrate or pulsate with a steady rhythm
Arabic خَفَقَ, خَفَقَ
- خَفَقَ (ḵafaqa)to pound or beat rapidly or violently
- خَفَقَ (ḵafaqa)to vibrate or pulsate with a steady rhythm
- نَبَضَ (nabaḍa)to vibrate or pulsate with a steady rhythm
- خَفَقَان (ḵafaqān)beating, vibration or palpitation
Bulgarian тупкам, туптя
- тупкам (tupkam)to pound or beat rapidly or violently
- туптя (tuptja)to pound or beat rapidly or violently
- пулсирам (pulsiram)to vibrate or pulsate with a steady rhythm
- туптене (tuptene)beating, vibration or palpitation
- пулсиране (pulsirane)beating, vibration or palpitation
Chinese Mandarin 搏動 /搏动
- 搏動 /搏动 (bódòng)to vibrate or pulsate with a steady rhythm
Czech bušit, bít
- bušitto pound or beat rapidly or violently
- bítto pound or beat rapidly or violently
- tepatto vibrate or pulsate with a steady rhythm
- bušitto vibrate or pulsate with a steady rhythm
- bítto vibrate or pulsate with a steady rhythm
- pulzovatto vibrate or pulsate with a steady rhythm
- pulzovatto pulse in time with the circulation of blood
- pulsbeating, vibration or palpitation
- pulzováníbeating, vibration or palpitation
- bušeníbeating, vibration or palpitation
- tlukotbeating, vibration or palpitation
Dutch kloppen, bonzen
- kloppento pound or beat rapidly or violently
- bonzento pound or beat rapidly or violently
- trillento vibrate or pulsate with a steady rhythm
- vibrerento vibrate or pulsate with a steady rhythm
- geklopbeating, vibration or palpitation
Esperanto pulso
- pulsobeating, vibration or palpitation
Finnish jyskyttää, tykyttää
- jyskyttääto pound or beat rapidly or violently
- tykyttääto pound or beat rapidly or violently
- jyskyttääto vibrate or pulsate with a steady rhythm
- sykkiäto vibrate or pulsate with a steady rhythm
- tykytysbeating, vibration or palpitation
- jyskytysbeating, vibration or palpitation
- sykintäbeating, vibration or palpitation
French battre, palpiter
- battreto pound or beat rapidly or violently
- palpiterto pound or beat rapidly or violently
- vibrerto vibrate or pulsate with a steady rhythm
- résonnerto vibrate or pulsate with a steady rhythm
- battreto vibrate or pulsate with a steady rhythm
- battementbeating, vibration or palpitation
- pulsationbeating, vibration or palpitation
German klopfen, schlagen
- klopfento pound or beat rapidly or violently
- schlagento pound or beat rapidly or violently
- pochento vibrate or pulsate with a steady rhythm
- klopfento vibrate or pulsate with a steady rhythm
- pulsierento vibrate or pulsate with a steady rhythm
- Pochenbeating, vibration or palpitation
- Klopfenbeating, vibration or palpitation
Hawaiian ʻūpā, ʻūpā
- ʻūpāto vibrate or pulsate with a steady rhythm
- ʻūpāto pulse in time with the circulation of blood
Hungarian lüktet, lüktetés
- lüktetto vibrate or pulsate with a steady rhythm
- lüktetésbeating, vibration or palpitation
Irish preab, frithbhuail
- preabto vibrate or pulsate with a steady rhythm
- frithbhuailto vibrate or pulsate with a steady rhythm
- buillebeating, vibration or palpitation
- cuislebeating, vibration or palpitation
Italian battere, picchiare
- battereto pound or beat rapidly or violently
- picchiareto pound or beat rapidly or violently
- pulsareto vibrate or pulsate with a steady rhythm
- battitobeating, vibration or palpitation
- palpitobeating, vibration or palpitation
- pulsazionebeating, vibration or palpitation
Japanese どきどき, ドキドキ
- どきどきto pound or beat rapidly or violently
- ドキドキto pound or beat rapidly or violently
- どきどきする (dokidoki suru)to vibrate or pulsate with a steady rhythm
- じんじんする (jinjin suru)to pulse in time with the circulation of blood
Latin palpitō
- palpitōto vibrate or pulsate with a steady rhythm
Māori whētuki, panapana
- whētukito pound or beat rapidly or violently
- panapanato pound or beat rapidly or violently
- kapakapato pound or beat rapidly or violently
Norwegian Bokmål dunke, banke
- dunketo pound or beat rapidly or violently
- banketo pound or beat rapidly or violently
- banketo vibrate or pulsate with a steady rhythm
- slåto vibrate or pulsate with a steady rhythm
Polish tętnić
- tętnićto pound or beat rapidly or violently
Portuguese latejar, pulsar
- latejarto pound or beat rapidly or violently
- pulsarto vibrate or pulsate with a steady rhythm
- latejamentobeating, vibration or palpitation
Romanian palpita, pulsa
- palpitato pound or beat rapidly or violently
- pulsato vibrate or pulsate with a steady rhythm
- vibrato vibrate or pulsate with a steady rhythm
- pulsațiebeating, vibration or palpitation
- palpitațiebeating, vibration or palpitation
- vibrațiebeating, vibration or palpitation
- vibrarebeating, vibration or palpitation
Russian би́ться, стуча́ться
- би́ться (bítʹsja)to pound or beat rapidly or violently
- стуча́ться (stučátʹsja)to pound or beat rapidly or violently
- би́ться (bítʹsja)to vibrate or pulsate with a steady rhythm
- пульси́ровать (pulʹsírovatʹ)to vibrate or pulsate with a steady rhythm
- пульса́ция (pulʹsácija)beating, vibration or palpitation
- бие́ние (bijénije)beating, vibration or palpitation
Scottish Gaelic plosg, plosg
- plosgto pound or beat rapidly or violently
- plosgto vibrate or pulsate with a steady rhythm
- plosgbeating, vibration or palpitation
- plosgadhbeating, vibration or palpitation
Slovak tĺcť, tĺcť
- tĺcťto pound or beat rapidly or violently
- tĺcťto vibrate or pulsate with a steady rhythm
Spanish palpitar, palpitar
- palpitarto pound or beat rapidly or violently
- palpitarbeating, vibration or palpitation
Swedish bulta, dunka
- bultato pound or beat rapidly or violently
- dunkato pound or beat rapidly or violently
Vietnamese phập phồng
- phập phồngto pound or beat rapidly or violently
Welsh curiad
- curiadbeating, vibration or palpitation
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with throb
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
throb. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/throb
MLA
“throb.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/throb. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “throb,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/throb.
Source: throb on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.