MEANING
To beat, throb, or flutter, often rapidly or irregularly, especially of the heart.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- a palpitating heart
- palpitate with excitement
On the page
Her heart palpitated while she waited for the footsteps to stop.
The exposed membrane seemed to palpitate beneath the light.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- palpitate
- Past tense
- palpitated
- Past participle
- palpitated
- Present participle
- palpitating
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- palpitate
- Present continuous
- am/is/are palpitating
- Present perfect
- have/has palpitated
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been palpitating
- Past
- palpitated
- Past continuous
- was/were palpitating
- Past perfect
- had palpitated
- Past perfect continuous
- had been palpitating
- Future
- will palpitate
- Future continuous
- will be palpitating
- Future perfect
- will have palpitated
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been palpitating
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
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Usage notes
Primary category: horror. Forms: palpitate; palpitates; palpitated; palpitated; palpitating Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Third-person singular: palpitates.
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