quake
Americanverb (used without object)
noun
-
an earthquake.
-
a trembling or tremulous agitation.
verb
-
to shake or tremble with or as with fear
-
to convulse or quiver, as from instability
noun
-
the act or an instance of quaking
-
informal short for earthquake
Related Words
See shiver 1.
Other Word Forms
- quakingly adverb
- unquaking adjective
Etymology
Origin of quake
First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English cwacian “to shake, tremble”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Although these quakes occur too far below the surface to cause significant shaking or damage, they offer valuable insight into how earthquakes form.
From Science Daily
The cluster of quakes gradually migrated more than 10 kilometers northeast of Santorini.
From Science Daily
The couple believe the quake caused the bank to shift and crack violently and fear it is only a matter of time before it moves again.
From BBC
He wondered if his parents had felt the quake.
From Literature
The seismometer on Mount Rainier had registered the earthquake, but that didn’t mean the center of the quake was anywhere near.
From Literature
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
