I. shud ‧ der 1 /ˈʃʌdə $ -ər/ BrE AmE verb [intransitive]
[ Date: 1100-1200 ; Origin: Probably from Middle Low German schoderen or Middle Dutch shuderen ]
1 . to shake for a short time because you are afraid or cold, or because you think something is very unpleasant:
Maria shuddered as she stepped outside.
shudder with
I shudder with embarrassment whenever I think about it.
shudder at
She shuddered at the thought that she could have been killed.
2 . if a vehicle or machine shudders, it shakes violently:
The car shuddered briefly as its engine died.
The train shuddered to a halt.
3 . I shudder to think spoken used to say that you do not want to think about something because it is too unpleasant:
I shudder to think what they’ll say when they see the mess the house is in.
shudder at something phrasal verb
to think that something is very bad or unpleasant:
If you love skiing but shudder at the cost, take advantage of our superb family offer.
He shuddered at the thought of the conflict ahead.
II. shudder 2 BrE AmE noun [countable usually singular]
a shaking movement:
The building gave a sudden shudder.
a shudder ran/passed/went through somebody
A shudder ran through him at the touch of her fingers.