earthquake

noun

earth·​quake ˈərth-ˌkwāk 

1

: a shaking or trembling of the earth that is volcanic or tectonic in origin

2

: upheaval sense 2

Synonyms

• quake
• tremor

Examples of earthquake in a Sentence

a building destroyed by earthquake

the San Andreas Fault is notorious for its earthquakes

Recent Examples on the Web

It is estimated that there are 500,000 detectable earthquakes in the world each year. —Ca Earthquake Bot, Sacbee.com, 4 Oct. 2025

Search efforts were further complicated after an earthquake struck the region of Sumenep, about 124 miles from the collapse site on Tuesday, and authorities feared the impact of those tremors may have packed the debris tighter. —Helen Regan, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2025

Following the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Pender served as legal consultant to the Interim Haiti Recovery Commission. —Jordan Blum, Fortune, 25 Sep. 2025

In August 2018, a 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of northeastern Venezuela, around 25 miles from Carúpano. —Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for earthquake

• awake
• backache
• beefsteak
• betake
• cheesecake
• cupcake
• daybreak
• eastlake
• forsake
• handshake
• headache
• heartache

Kids Definition

earthquake

noun

earth·​quake ˈərth-ˌkwāk 

: a shaking or trembling of a portion of the earth