as in upheavals
a violent disturbance (as of the political or social order)
the Russian Revolution was one of the major convulsions of the 20th century
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of convulsions
For more severe and potentially life-threatening infections, symptoms may include headaches, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions.
—
Matthew Robinson, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025
An hour later, Bradley Fullerton’s cellmate sought help because Fullerton was having convulsions, according to the filing.
—Julia Marnin, Miami Herald, 29 Aug. 2025
At the end of almost 4 billion years, on a planet bereft of complex life, the Earth had been suddenly throttled by the most extreme convulsions of the carbon cycle in its entire history.
—Peter Brannen
august 28, Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2025
Widespread abuse can lead to sudden cardiac arrest, convulsions, strokes and death.
—Ingrid Vasquez, People.com, 28 Dec. 2024
Abuse can lead to irregular heartbeat, ischemic heart conditions, sudden cardiac arrest, convulsions, strokes and death.
—Aliza Chasan, CBS News, 25 Dec. 2024
Exposure to larger doses of the gas can cause loss of consciousness, cardiac arrest, possibly leading to death, coma, convulsions, paralysis, respiratory failure, and seizures.
—Andy Biggs, Newsweek, 25 Dec. 2024
Serious health complications are possible, especially in children younger than 5, such as pneumonia — the most common cause of death from measles in young children — and swelling of the brain, which can trigger convulsions and lead to deafness or intellectual disability.
—Rong-Gong Lin Ii, Los Angeles Times, 6 Dec. 2024
His epileptic convulsions happen less often and for shorter intervals — seconds at a time, instead of minutes.
—Emiliano Tahui Gómez, Austin American-Statesman, 24 Nov. 2024
Matthew Robinson, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025
An hour later, Bradley Fullerton’s cellmate sought help because Fullerton was having convulsions, according to the filing.
—Julia Marnin, Miami Herald, 29 Aug. 2025
At the end of almost 4 billion years, on a planet bereft of complex life, the Earth had been suddenly throttled by the most extreme convulsions of the carbon cycle in its entire history.
—Peter Brannen
august 28, Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2025
Widespread abuse can lead to sudden cardiac arrest, convulsions, strokes and death.
—Ingrid Vasquez, People.com, 28 Dec. 2024
Abuse can lead to irregular heartbeat, ischemic heart conditions, sudden cardiac arrest, convulsions, strokes and death.
—Aliza Chasan, CBS News, 25 Dec. 2024
Exposure to larger doses of the gas can cause loss of consciousness, cardiac arrest, possibly leading to death, coma, convulsions, paralysis, respiratory failure, and seizures.
—Andy Biggs, Newsweek, 25 Dec. 2024
Serious health complications are possible, especially in children younger than 5, such as pneumonia — the most common cause of death from measles in young children — and swelling of the brain, which can trigger convulsions and lead to deafness or intellectual disability.
—Rong-Gong Lin Ii, Los Angeles Times, 6 Dec. 2024
His epileptic convulsions happen less often and for shorter intervals — seconds at a time, instead of minutes.
—Emiliano Tahui Gómez, Austin American-Statesman, 24 Nov. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for convulsions
Noun
-
In an alternate timeline without COVID-19 and the cultural upheavals of 2020, Bennet might be the executive editor of The New York Times.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
8 Sep. 2025
-
The United States and South Korea previously butted heads over how to handle the threat from North Korea, and there have been periodic public upheavals in Korean public opinion over tragic incidents involving American troops stationed on the peninsula.—
KURT M. CAMPBELL,
Foreign Affairs,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Kurzweil’s singularity parallels ideas from Italian and Russian futurists amid the electrical and mechanical revolutions that took place at the turn of the 20th century.—
Sonja Fritzsche,
The Conversation,
9 Sep. 2025
-
In particular, revolutions like special relativity and general relativity, quantum mechanics and quantum field theory, and the Big Bang and cosmic inflation completely overthrew our prior picture of how things actually behave.—
Ethan Siegel,
Big Think,
5 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Convulsions.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/convulsions. Accessed 13 Sep. 2025.
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