: one of the small pieces into which a brittle thing is broken by sudden violence
shivered; shivering
1
: to undergo trembling : quiver
2
: to tremble in the wind as it strikes first one and then the other side (of a sail)
: to cause (a sail) to shiver by steering close to the wind
Synonyms
Examples of shiver in a Sentence
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
Christopher Reynolds, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2024
After that, Cruz immersed himself chin-deep in Donald Trump’s effort to overturn the 2020 election, then made an appalling escape to Cancun, Mexico, as millions of Texans shivered through a deadly winter storm.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2024
Jake Parks, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2024
As if the economic landscape wasn't scary enough, geopolitical tensions added another layer of uncertainty, with USA Today reporting North Korea test-fired what appeared to be an intercontinental ballistic missile sending shivers through the market.
—Dan Irvine, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for shiver 
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Verb
Times Square: New Yorkers gather here each New Year’s Eve to shiver, hear Anderson Cooper filibuster and distract themselves from the fact that the Yankees haven’t won a World Series in 15 years and the Mets haven’t won one in this century.
—Christopher Reynolds, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2024
After that, Cruz immersed himself chin-deep in Donald Trump’s effort to overturn the 2020 election, then made an appalling escape to Cancun, Mexico, as millions of Texans shivered through a deadly winter storm.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2024
Noun
Finding a tick embedded in your dog’s skin can send a shiver down your spine.
—Jake Parks, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2024
As if the economic landscape wasn't scary enough, geopolitical tensions added another layer of uncertainty, with USA Today reporting North Korea test-fired what appeared to be an intercontinental ballistic missile sending shivers through the market.
—Dan Irvine, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for shiver
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Dictionary Entries Near shiver
Cite this Entry
“Shiver.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shiver. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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
3 of 4 verb
shivered; shivering
ˈshiv-(ə-)riŋ
: to shake involuntarily (as from cold or fear)
shiver
4 of 4 noun1
: an instance of shivering
2
: 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"
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