convulsion

Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Legal, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.

con·vul·sion

(kən-vŭl′shən)

1. An intense, paroxysmal, involuntary muscular contraction.

2. An uncontrolled fit, as of laughter; a paroxysm.

3. Violent turmoil: "The market convulsions of the last few weeks have shaken the world" (Felix Rohatyn).

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

convulsion

(kənˈvʌlʃən)

1. (Medicine) a violent involuntary contraction of a muscle or muscles

2. a violent upheaval, disturbance, or agitation, esp a social one

3. (usually plural) informal uncontrollable laughter: I was in convulsions.

conˈvulsionary adj

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

con•vul•sion

(kənˈvʌl ʃən)

n.

1. contortion of the body caused by violent, involuntary muscular contractions.

2. a violent disturbance.

3. an outburst of great, uncontrollable laughter.

[1575–85; < Latin]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Noun	1.	convulsion - a sudden uncontrollable attack; "a paroxysm of giggling"; "a fit of coughing"; "convulsions of laughter" paroxysm, fit attack - a sudden occurrence of an uncontrollable condition; "an attack of diarrhea"
	2.	convulsion - violent uncontrollable contractions of muscles ictus, raptus, seizure - a sudden occurrence (or recurrence) of a disease; "he suffered an epileptic seizure" clonus - convulsion characterized by alternating contractions and relaxations epileptic seizure - convulsions accompanied by impaired consciousness
	3.	convulsion - a violent disturbance; "the convulsions of the stock market" turmoil, upheaval commotion, hoo-ha, hoo-hah, hurly burly, kerfuffle, to-do, disruption, disturbance, flutter - a disorderly outburst or tumult; "they were amazed by the furious disturbance they had caused"
	4.	convulsion - a physical disturbance such as an earthquake or upheaval trouble - an event causing distress or pain; "what is the trouble?"; "heart trouble"

convulsion

noun

1. spasm, fit, shaking, seizure, contraction, tremor, cramp, contortion, paroxysm He fell to the floor in the grip of an epileptic convulsion.

2. upheaval, disturbance, furore, turbulence, agitation, commotion, tumult It was a decade that saw many great social, economic and political convulsions.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

convulsion

noun

1. The condition of being physically agitated:

agitation, commotion, turbulence.

2. A momentous or sweeping change:

cataclysm, revolution, upheaval.

3. A condition of anguished struggle and disorder:

paroxysm, throe (used in plural).

Translations

تَشَنُّـج

křeč

krampekrampeanfaldkrampetrækning

Krampf

kohtauskouristusmullistus

convulsion

grč

háborgásrángató zásrángatózásrengés

rykkir, krampi

convulsione

krampelatter voldsomt anfall

convulsão

katılmasarsılma

抽搐痉挛

convulsion

[kənˈvʌlʃən] N

1. (= fit, seizure) → convulsión f
to have convulsions → tener convulsiones

2. (fig) → conmoción f
they were in convulsions [of laughter] → se desternillaban de risa

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

convulsion

[kənˈvʌlʃ^ən] n (MEDICINE) (= fit) → convulsion f

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

convulsion

(Med) → Schüttelkrampf m no pl, → Konvulsion f (spec); (of crying) → Weinkrampf m no pl

(caused by social upheaval etc) → Erschütterung f

(inf, of laughter) to go into/be in convulsions → sich biegen or schütteln vor Lachen; he had the audience in convulsions → er rief beim Publikum wahre Lachstürme hervor

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

convulsion

[kənˈvʌlʃ/ən] n (fit, seizure) → convulsione f
in convulsions (fam) (laughter) → piegato/a in due (dalle risate)

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

convulse

(kənˈvals) verb

to shake violently. convulsed with laughter.

conˈvulsive (-siv) adjective

conˈvulsively adverb

conˈvulsion (-ʃən) noun

(often in plural) a sudden stiffening or jerking of the muscles of the body.

con·vul·sion

n. convulsión, contracción involuntaria de un músculo;

febrile ___ → ___ febril;

Jacksonian ___ → ___ Jacksoniana;

tonic-clonic ___ → ___ tonicoclónica.

convulsion

n convulsión f, ataque m (fam)

References in classic literature ?

"In the very heart of an extinct volcano, the interior of which has been invaded by the sea, after some great convulsion of the earth.

View in context

One arm was hanging out of the bed; from shoulder to elbow it was moulded after the arms of Germain Pillon's "Graces,"* but the fore-arm seemed to be slightly distorted by convulsion, and the hand, so delicately formed, was resting with stiff outstretched fingers on the framework of the bed.

View in context

I had a vague belief that he was suffering from a fit, or some form of convulsion. Before I could reach his side he was down and quiet.

View in context

But to what did they owe the convulsion and rapture of their transport?

View in context

We may imagine that stream of white lava had flowed from many parts of the mountain into the lower country, and that when solidified they had bee rent by some enormous convulsion into myriads of fragments.

View in context

There he hung, embracing the gutter, hardly breathing, no longer stirring, making no longer any other movements than that mechanical convulsion of the stomach, which one experiences in dreams when one fancies himself falling.

View in context

While this dumb convulsion lasted I could only watch it-- which I did the more intently when I saw Flora's face peep at me over our companion's shoulder.

View in context

Poverty ordinarily causes no such sensations to those who are conscious of possessing advantages of an order superior to wealth, and surely a well-educated, well-born, virtuous girl need not have blushed because estates were torn from her parents by a political convulsion that had overturned an ancient and powerful throne.

View in context

Inglethorp was lying on the bed, her whole form agitated by violent convulsions, in one of which she must have overturned the table beside her.

View in context

Groans, and convulsions, and a discolored face, and friends weeping, and blacks, and obsequies, and the like, show death terrible.

View in context

We need only confess that we do not know the purpose of the European convulsions and that we know only the facts- that is, the murders, first in France, then in Italy, in Africa, in Prussia, in Austria, in Spain, and in Russia- and that the movements from the west to the east and from the east to the west form the essence and purpose of these events, and not only shall we have no need to see exceptional ability and genius in Napoleon and Alexander, but we shall be unable to consider them to be anything but like other men, and we shall not be obliged to have recourse to chance for an explanation of those small events which made these people what they were, but it will be clear that all those small events were inevitable.

View in context

Instantly she went into fearful convulsions, and it was with the greatest difficulty that six strong men could hold her.