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

The earthquake struck at a depth of 8 miles, with its epicenter approximately 4 miles north of Fontana. —Ca Earthquake Bot, Sacbee.com, 6 Sep. 2025

More than a migration measure, that’s a demographic earthquake. —Andres Oppenheimer september 5, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2025

The study, published Wednesday in the journal Nature, found that global carbon storage capacity was 10 times less than previous estimates after ruling out geological formations where the gas could leak, trigger earthquakes or contaminate groundwater, or had other limitations. —Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2025

The remaining slab rebounds and moves upwards, triggering a superficial fault network stretching west, resulting in shallow (less than 200 kilometers deep) earthquakes. —David Bressan, Forbes.com, 1 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