Noun (2) the prisoner experienced a sudden shiver when confronted with the sight of the dark basement looking down from the window ledge sent shivers up my spine

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Donald took off his blazer when Evelyn shivered and put it around her shoulders. —

Tessa Hadley, The New Yorker, 23 June 2024 While Chicagoans sweat through a stretch of brutally hot days, those who lived here 70 years ago were shivering. —

Marianne Mather, Chicago Tribune, 20 June 2024 Milwaukee wasn't shivering alone; most of the country was in a deep freeze that weekend. —

Chris Foran, Journal Sentinel, 12 Jan. 2024 Much as his predecessors arranged for Napoleon’s armies to be trapped in the snows near Moscow and for Nazi soldiers to freeze to death outside Stalingrad, Putin plans to have French and German citizens shivering in their homes. —

Fiona Hill, Foreign Affairs, 25 Aug. 2022 See all Example Sentences for shiver

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'shiver.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English; akin to Old High German scivaro splinter

Verb (2)

Middle English, alteration of chiveren

First Known Use

Noun (1)

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb (1)

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun (2)

1727, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of shiver was in the 13th century

See more words from the same century

Cite this Entry

Style

“Shiver.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shiver. Accessed 8 Jul. 2024.

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Kids Definition

shiver

1 of 4 noun

shiv·er ˈshiv-ər

: one of the small pieces into which a brittle thing is broken by great force

shiver

2 of 4 verb

shivered; shivering ˈshiv-(ə-)riŋ

: to break into many small pieces : shatter

shiver

3 of 4 verb

shivered; shivering

ˈshiv-(ə-)riŋ

: to shake involuntarily (as from cold or fear)

shiver

4 of 4 noun

: an instance of shivering

: a thrill of emotion and especially of fear

—usually used in plural with the

a ghost story that would give you the shivers

Etymology

Noun

Middle English shiver "a small piece of something that is broken"

Verb

Middle English shiveren, an altered form of chiveren "to tremble, shiver"

Medical Definition

shiver

1 of 2 intransitive verb

shiv·er ˈshiv-ər

: to undergo trembling : experience rapid involuntary muscular twitching especially in response to cold

shiver

2 of 2 noun

: an instance of shivering

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shiver

noun (1)

verb (1)

verb (2)

noun (2)

Synonyms

Examples of shiver in a Sentence

Word History

Dictionary Entries Near shiver

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition

Medical Definition