verb

shiver

SHIH-vuh

verb

To tremble briefly, usually from cold, fear, or a strong emotion.

"She shivered as the icy wind cut through her jacket."

"He shivered at the thought of speaking in public."

noun

A brief trembling, or the shudder it produces.

"A shiver ran down his spine when he heard the noise upstairs."

A splinter or small broken fragment, especially of glass or wood.

"The window smashed into a hundred shivers of glass."

A group of sharks swimming together.

"Divers spotted a shiver of reef sharks near the drop-off."

How to Use Shiver

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA quick, involuntary shudder — from cold, fear, excitement, or sometimes a broken splinter of something.

Common mistake

The "splinter" and "group of sharks" senses are much rarer than the everyday "tremble with cold/fear" meaning.

Common pairings

send shivers down your spine shiver with cold a shiver of fear

shivered past tense, shivered past tense, shivers plural, shivers plural, shivers plural, Shivers plural, shivers singular, shivers singular

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Can you complete this real example?

She _____ as the icy wind cut through her jacket.

Origin uncertain — possibly related to an old word for splitting into fragments, later applied to the trembling of the body.

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