THROBBING

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does throbbing mean? 

• THROBBING (noun)
  The noun THROBBING has 2 senses:

1. an instance of rapid strong pulsation (of the heart)

2. a sound with a strong rhythmic beat

  Familiarity information: THROBBING used as a noun is rare.

• THROBBING (adjective)
  The adjective THROBBING has 1 sense:

1. pounding or beating strongly or violently

  Familiarity information: THROBBING used as an adjective is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• THROBBING (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

An instance of rapid strong pulsation (of the heart)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Synonyms:

pounding; throb; throbbing

Context example:

he felt a throbbing in his head

Hypernyms ("throbbing" is a kind of...):

beat; heartbeat; pulsation; pulse (the rhythmic contraction and expansion of the arteries with each beat of the heart)

Derivation:

throb (pulsate or pound with abnormal force)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A sound with a strong rhythmic beat

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Context example:

the throbbing of the engines

Hypernyms ("throbbing" is a kind of...):

sound (the sudden occurrence of an audible event)

• THROBBING (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Pounding or beating strongly or violently

Context example:

the throbbing engine of the boat

Similar:

rhythmic; rhythmical (recurring with measured regularity)

 Context examples 

His ankle was throbbing, and he gave it an examination.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA) Cardiovascular symptoms; tachycardia, palpitations, pain in chest, throbbing of vessels, fainting feelings, missing beat.

(HAMA - Cardiovascular Symptoms, NCI Thesaurus)

When the throbbing I had seen before, came into it as I looked at her, she absolutely lifted up her hand, and struck it.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

If we could only go faster! but we cannot; the engines are throbbing and doing their utmost.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

By the afternoon of that day—my pocket diary shows me that it was Tuesday, August 18th—at least six or seven drums were throbbing from various points.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) Check Yes or No if the adjective applies to your pain; throbbing.

(BPI - Throbbing, NCI Thesaurus)

The pain is throbbing or pulsing, and is often on one side of the head.

(Migraine, NIH: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)

Peat-cutters on Blackdown and fishers upon the Exe heard the distant throbbing rising and falling upon the sultry summer air.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

They're often described as a pulsing or throbbing in one side of the head.

(How Light Boosts Migraine Pain, NIH, US)

I glanced down at my hand, which was throbbing painfully, and then, for the first time, saw that my thumb had been cut off and that the blood was pouring from my wound.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)