Noun: convulsion kun'vúl-shun
- Violent uncontrollable contractions of muscles
"The patient experienced severe convulsions during the seizure"
- A sudden uncontrollable attack
"convulsions of laughter";
- paroxysm, fit
- A violent disturbance
"the convulsions of the stock market";
- turmoil, upheaval
- A physical disturbance such as an earthquake or upheaval
"The political convulsion that followed the assassination changed the course of history"
Derived forms: convulsions
Type of: attack, carry-on [Brit, informal], commotion, disruption, disturbance, flutter, hoo-ha [informal], hoo-hah [informal], hurly burly, ictus, kerfuffle [Brit, informal], raptus, seizure, song and dance [Brit, informal], to-do [informal], trouble
Encyclopedia: Convulsion