aftershock

noun

af·ter·shock | \ -ˌshäk

Definition of aftershock

1 : an aftereffect of a distressing or traumatic event

2 : a minor shock following the main shock of an earthquake

Examples of aftershock in a Sentence

The first aftershock came just minutes after the earthquake.

Recent Examples on the Web

Everyone cheered, and the manmade aftershock occurred. — Heran Mamo, Billboard, "Jon Bellion Electrifies the Masses at Los Angeles Stop on Glory Sound Prep Tour," 13 July 2019 The temblors and the thousands of aftershocks that followed did not lead to major structural damage near the Ridgecrest epicenter but did have residents of nearby Trona, Calif. worrying about their town’s future. — Colleen Shalby, latimes.com, "Ridgecrest earthquakes caused damage to Earth’s crust seen from satellite," 11 July 2019 The large quakes were followed by thousands of smaller aftershocks. — Christopher Weber, Fox News, "Nevada death may be linked to California quake," 10 July 2019 The large quakes were followed by thousands of smaller aftershocks. — Christopher Weber, BostonGlobe.com, "Nevada death may be linked to California quake," 10 July 2019 The large quakes were followed by thousands of smaller aftershocks. — Washington Post, "Nevada death may be linked to California quake," 10 July 2019 The large quakes were followed by thousands of smaller aftershocks. — Time, "A Man's Death in Nevada May Be Linked to California Earthquake," 10 July 2019 No one died this week after the magnitude 6.4 and 7.1 earthquakes -- as well as thousands of smaller aftershocks -- struck near the city of Ridgecrest, a desert community about 150 miles from Los Angeles. — Braden Goyette, CNN, "She's been explaining earthquakes for decades. Here's where she says California is least prepared," 9 July 2019 Seismologists warned that large aftershocks were expected to continue for days, if not weeks. — John Antczak, The Denver Post, "Another large earthquake rattles Southern California overnight," 6 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'aftershock.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.