con ‧ vulse /kənˈvʌls/ BrE AmE verb
[ Date: 1600-1700 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: past participle of convellere 'to pull violently' , from com- ( ⇨ COM- ) + vellere 'to pull out' ]
1 . [intransitive] if your body or a part of it convulses, it moves violently and you are not able to control it:
He sat down, his shoulders convulsing with sobs.
2 . be convulsed with laughter/anger etc to be laughing so much or feel so angry that you shake and are not able to stop yourself
3 . [transitive] if something such as a war convulses a country, it causes a lot of problems or confusion:
A wave of nationalist demonstrations convulsed the country in 1919.