Definition of "convulse"

convulse

/kənˈvʌls/

verb
third-person singular simple present convulses, present participle convulsing, simple past and past participle convulsed
1. (intransitive) To suffer violent involuntary contractions of the muscles, causing one's body to contort.
  Quotations
  He realized she was crying. He could feel her body convulsing with little sobs and her cheek was wet where it brushed his.
  1999, Mona Lee, Alien Child, page 278
2. (intransitive, figurative) To be beset by political or social upheaval.
  Quotations
  The Persian Empire was convulsing with intrigue, revolt, and civil war.
  1988, Carroll Stuhlmueller, Rebuilding with Hope: A Commentary on the Books of Haggai and Zechariah, page 12
3. (transitive) To cause (someone) to suffer such contractions, especially as a result of making them laugh heartily.
  Quotations
  But while he was convulsing all London with laughter, he was fast falling a victim to consumption.
  1882, William Montgomery Clemens, Famous Funny Fellows: Brief Biographical Sketches of American Humorists, pages 28–29