palpitateEnglishOxford American Thesauruspalpitate verb 1 her heart began to palpitate: beat rapidly, pound, throb, pulsate, pulse, thud, thump, hammer, flutter, pitter-patter, go pit-a-pat, quiver, pump, race, pant, thrill; rare quop. 2 she was palpitating with terror: tremble, quiver, quake, shake, shake like a leaf, shiver, shudder; rare quave.