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

Nearly 85,000 fans shivered in the stands amid 20-degree temperature and 17 mph wind — though Ohio State coach Woody Hayes refused to acknowledge the cold, wearing short sleeves on the sideline, according to a Tribune article the next day. —

Chicago Tribune, 11 Aug. 2024 At the site one morning this spring, dozens of arrivals from around the world shivered in the wind and huddled near campfires that reeked of burning plastic. —

Nick Miroff, Washington Post, 29 July 2024 Even for those of us who have grown up shivering through Australia’s surprisingly cold winters, June rolls around each year and catches us by surprise again. —

Kate McGregor, refinery29.com, 19 June 2024 The Fan Fest, which concluded the spring sessions, fell on a cold, gloomy Sunday, keeping the crowd down, and keeping those who came bundled up and shivering, far from the street festival atmosphere on a Friday night that was Mora’s first spring event. —

Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 21 Apr. 2024 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 11 Sep. 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