What does palpitate mean?
To palpitate means to beat rapidly or tremble, most often in reference to the heart. The verb is especially associated with the sensation of a heart racing because of fear, excitement, surprise, or physical exertion. It can also describe a slight, involuntary vibration of the body or a part of the body, such as the hands, in response to strong emotion. In medical writing, palpitation refers to an unusually rapid or forceful heartbeat, though the verb may describe the physical sensation rather than diagnose its cause. Although “pound,” “race,” “throb,” and “tremble” can all be used in similar contexts, “palpitate” has a more precise, elevated, and somewhat clinical tone. It is therefore especially useful in formal descriptions of cardiac symptoms, literary descriptions of fear and excitement, and contexts where the emotional or physical intensity of a heartbeat needs emphasis.
verbTo beat rapidly, especially the heart. It can also mean to tremble or vibrate slightly, typically from fear, excitement, or strong emotion.
- To beat rapidly, especially the heart.
- To tremble or vibrate slightly, especially from fear, excitement, or strong emotion.
"She felt her heart palpitate as she approached the stage."
"The patient's heart began to palpitate after the injection."
"His hands palpitated as he waited for the interview to begin."
Your heart can palpitate when excitement or fear sends it racing — the word turns a familiar flutter into a vivid, clinical-sounding description.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of palpitate
Palpitate comes from Latin palpītāre, meaning “to palpate” or “to feel,” a frequentative form based on palpārī, “to touch or feel.” In English, the word initially developed in the sense of examining or feeling by touch before acquiring its meanings of rapid beating and trembling. Its Latin root also underlies cognates such as palpate, palpation, and palpatory.
Related word forms
How palpitate is actually used
The word is formal and somewhat literary in contemporary English. It is often used in medical contexts for a rapid heartbeat and in figurative descriptions of shaking from intense emotion.
Easily confused with palpitate
To palpate is to examine something by pressing or feeling it with the hands, whereas to palpitate is to beat rapidly or tremble.