WordGarden.iothrob
C2Pronunciation
UK
- /θrˈɒb/
US
- /ˈθrɑb/
Meanings
Verb
to beat or ache with a strong regular pulse
to make or fill a place with a strong rhythmic sound or vibration
to be full of intense emotion, energy, or life
Noun
a strong regular beat or pulsing pain
a strong rhythmic sound or vibration
Beyond the definition
A throb is a strong, steady pulsing feeling or movement. You often use it for a heartbeat, pain, or music with a heavy beat. A headache might throb behind your eyes, or your foot might throb after you twist it.
The word can also be used more broadly for places or sounds that feel full of force and life. A nightclub may be described as throbbing with music, or a busy city street as throbbing with energy. It gives a sense of something active, strong, and hard to ignore.
To throb means to beat or pulse in a strong, regular way. It is most often used for physical feelings, especially pain or a heartbeat. For example, your temples may throb during a bad headache, or an injured finger may throb long after you hit it. As a noun, throb can mean one strong pulse of pain or movement: "She felt a dull throb in her knee."
The word is also used for sounds, music, and places that seem full of powerful rhythm or energy. A bass line can throb through a room, and a crowded club can be described as throbbing with music. In this sense, it suggests a deep, steady force that you can almost feel physically.
Sometimes throb is used in a more literary or dramatic way for strong emotion, but this is less common than the physical sense. Writers may use it to make a scene feel more vivid and intense.
Overall, throb is a word for something that pulses with force, whether it is pain, a heartbeat, music, or the energy of a place.
Examples
- 1
Tooth pain
By midnight, my tooth was starting to throb.
- 2
Joint pain
She felt a dull throb in her knee when she climbed the stairs.
- 3
Loud music
Bass from the party throbbed through the apartment walls.
- 4
Engine sound
We could hear the steady throb of the ship's engines below deck.
More examplesFewer examples
- 5
Crowd excitement
The whole stadium throbbed with excitement before the final match.
- Patternthrob with + feeling/activity
be full of a strong feeling or activity
See also
Forms and spellings
4 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- throbnounverb
Forms
- throbbing-ing formverbnoun
- throbspluralnounverb
- throbbedpast tenseverbnoun