thom thóp
Definition
- Verb:
- To be in a state of constant, anxious worry or fear: To feel persistent, nagging anxiety about a potential threat or bad outcome, often causing one to be on edge.
- To be apprehensive with a pounding heart: To experience nervousness or dread that is physically felt, often characterized by a fluttering or thumping heartbeat.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Cả ngày hôm nay, cô ấy cứ thom thóp lo sợ về kết quả xét nghiệm. (All day today, she has been in a state of anxious worry about the test results.)
- Nghe tin có bão, dân làng thom thóp chờ đợi. (Hearing news of the storm, the villagers waited with anxious apprehension.)
- Hắn thom thóp sợ âm mưu của mình bị phát hiện. (He was apprehensive with fear that his plot would be discovered.)
Advanced Usage
- The word is often used reduplicatively (as "thom thóp") to emphasize the continuous and lingering nature of the anxiety. It is rarely used in its single form ("thom").
- It frequently collocates with verbs like lo (to worry), sợ (to fear), and chờ (to wait), forming phrases such as "lo thom thóp," "sợ thom thóp," or "chờ thom thóp."
Variants and Related Words
- Lo lắng (v): to worry, to be anxious. (A more general term, whereas "thom thóp" implies a more visceral, heart-fluttering anxiety.)
- Hồi hộp (v): to be nervous with excitement or suspense. (Can be for positive or negative events, while "thom thóp" is typically for negative anticipation.)
Synonyms
- To fret: to be constantly or visibly worried.
- To be on tenterhooks: to be in a state of nervous or anxious anticipation.
- To be apprehensive: to be anxious or fearful that something bad will happen.
Related Idioms
- Lo thom thóp: A common phrase meaning to worry incessantly.
- Suốt tuần nay anh ấy lo thom thóp về khoản nợ. (He has been fretting incessantly about the debt all week.)