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Definition of throb verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

throb

verb
 
/θrɒb/
 
/θrɑːb/
Verb Forms
present simple I / you / we / they throb
 
/θrɒb/
 
/θrɑːb/
he / she / it throbs
 
/θrɒbz/
 
/θrɑːbz/
past simple throbbed
 
/θrɒbd/
 
/θrɑːbd/
past participle throbbed
 
/θrɒbd/
 
/θrɑːbd/
-ing form throbbing
 
/ˈθrɒbɪŋ/
 
/ˈθrɑːbɪŋ/
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  1. [intransitive] throb (with something) (of a part of the body) to feel a series of regular painful movements
    • His head throbbed painfully.
    • My feet were throbbing after the long walk home.
    Synonyms hurthurtache burn sting tingle itch throbThese are all words that can be used when part of your body feels painful.hurt (of part of your body) to feel painful; (of an action) to cause pain:
    • My feet hurt.
    • Ouch! That hurt!
    ache to feel a continuous pain that is not severe:
    • I’m aching all over.
    burn (of part of your body) to feel very hot and painful:
    • Our eyes were burning from the chemicals in the air.
    sting to make somebody feel a sharp burning pain or uncomfortable feeling in part of their body; (of part of your body) to feel this pain:
    • My eyes were stinging from the smoke.
    tingle (of part of your body) to feel as if a lot of small sharp points are pushing into the skin there:
    • The cold air made her face tingle.
    itch to have an uncomfortable feeling on your skin that makes you want to scratch; to make your skin feel like this:
    • I itch all over.
    • Does the rash itch?
    throb (of part of your body) to feel pain as a series of regular beats:
    • His head throbbed painfully.
    Patterns
    • your eyes hurt/​ache/​burn/​sting/​itch
    • your skin hurts/​burns/​stings/​tingles/​itches
    • your flesh hurts/​burns/​stings/​tingles
    • your head hurts/​aches/​throbs
    • your stomach hurts/​aches
    • to really hurt/​ache/​burn/​sting/​tingle/​itch/​throb
    • to hurt/​ache/​sting/​itch badly/​a lot
    • It hurts/​stings/​tingles/​itches.
    Extra Examples
    • The noise made my head throb.
    • I could feel a dull throbbing pain in my side.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • painfully
    verb + throb
    • begin to
    • start to
    • make something
    preposition
    • with
    See full entry
  2. [intransitive] to beat or sound with a strong, regular rhythm synonym pulsate
    • The ship's engines throbbed quietly.
    • a throbbing drumbeat
    • The blood was throbbing in my veins.
    • A pulse throbbed painfully in his temples.
    • The club was throbbing to the beat of the music.
    • throb with something (figurative) His voice was throbbing with emotion.
  3. Word Originlate Middle English: probably imitative.
See throb in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

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