throb

English

Etymology

From Middle English throbben; possibly of imitative origin. Cognate with Scots thrab (“to throb”). Compare also drub.

Pronunciation

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

    • Audio (Southern England):

      (file)

  • (US, Canada) IPA^(key): /θɹɑb/
  • (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.

   Her heart began to throb faster as the moment approached.

2. (intransitive, of a body part) To pulse (often painfully) in time with the circulation of blood.

   I have a throbbing headache.

3. (figurative, with "with") To exhibit an attitude, trait, or affect powerfully and profoundly.

   The bass in the song made the entire room throb with energy.

   • 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.

   • 2008 March 21, Tim Sullivan, “Bhutanese reluctantly stepping into world of democracy”, in The New York Times (Asia Pacific section)‎^[1], New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 13 December 2013‎^[2]:

     This 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.

Derived terms

• athrob
• heart-throbbing
• outthrob
• throbbingly
• throbless
• throbsome

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 Greek: σφύζω (sphúzō), σκαρίζω (skarízō)

• Italian: battere (it), picchiare (it)
• Japanese: どきどき (ja), ドキドキ
• Kabuverdianu: palpita
• Kapampangan: pintig, katug, tugingtuging, karug-karug
• Māori: 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, pulzovat 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 Greek: σφύζω (sphúzō), σκαρίζω (skarízō)

• Hawaiian: ʻūpā
• Hungarian: lüktet (hu)
• Irish: preab, frithbhuail
• Italian: pulsare (it)
• Japanese: どきどきする (ja) (dokidoki suru)
• Kabuverdianu: palpita
• Kapampangan: 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

to pulse in time with the circulation of blood

• Czech: pulzovat impf
• Hawaiian: ʻūpā
• Japanese: じんじんする (ja) (jinjin suru)

Noun

throb (plural throbs)

1. A beating, vibration or palpitation.

   He could feel a dull throb in his head from the tension.

   • 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:

     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)
• Czech: puls m, pulzování n, bušení n, tlukot m
• Dutch: geklop (nl)
• Esperanto: pulso (eo)
• Finnish: tykytys (fi), jyskytys (fi), sykintä (fi)
• French: battement (fr) m, pulsation (fr) f
• German: Pochen (de) 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