quake

1 of 2

verb

ˈkwāk 

quaked; quaking

intransitive verb

1

: to shake or vibrate usually from shock or instability

2

: to tremble or shudder usually from cold or fear

quake

2 of 2

noun

: an instance of shaking or trembling (as of the earth or moon)

especially : earthquake

Synonyms of quake

Verb

• shake
• shudder
• jerk
• tremble
• vibrate
• quiver

Noun

• earthquake
• tremor

Examples of quake in a Sentence

Verb

She was quaking with rage.

The explosion made the whole house quake.

Noun

the quake registered 6.5 on the Richter scale, causing widespread damage

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

For a full twenty-seven minutes and nineteen seconds, the stadium quaked and thrummed. — Sam Knight, New Yorker, 20 July 2026

Ball built a guitar with an aluminum neck and began placing his headstock on top of his amp, so that the quaking cabinet shook the strings by itself. — Jayson Greene, Pitchfork, 25 June 2026

Noun

Nearly 1,100 people reported feeling Sunday’s quake, according to the USGS. — Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026

East Bay residents got a reminder of that in August when a small, but strong quake struck under the Oakland Zoo in August. — ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Old English cwacian

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for quake

• ache
• ake
• bake
• brake
• break
• cake
• craik
• crake
• fake
• flake
• hake
• jake

Kids Definition

quake

1 of 2 verb

ˈkwāk 

quaked; quaking

1

: to shake or vibrate usually from shock or lack of stability

2

: to tremble or shudder usually from cold or fear

quake

2 of 2 noun

: a shaking or trembling

especially : earthquake