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 of earthquake

• 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

The earthquake struck at a depth of just 3 miles, with its epicenter roughly 6 miles east of Gilroy. —Ca Earthquake Bot, Sacbee.com, 28 Nov. 2025

Nearly 500 earthquakes have struck Alaska over the past week, the Alaska Earthquake Center reported, with one of the most recent quakes rattling the Anchorage area on Thanksgiving. —Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2025

Map of an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.1 that struck near The Geysers in Sonoma County on Nov. 24, 2025. —Tim Fang, CBS News, 24 Nov. 2025

The organization remained active until 2012, when the rapper resigned following scrutiny of the $16 million in donations raised after Haiti’s 2010 earthquakes, per Philanthropy News Digest. —Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 22 Nov. 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