quake

1 of 2

verb

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

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
Presently, based on the proximity of the magma to the surface and the constant seismic rumbling, Iceland’s Meteorological Office suspects that there is a very high likelihood of an eruption, somewhere along that 10-mile-long line of deformed and quaking ground, in the coming days. WIRED, 16 Nov. 2023 French Canadian woodsmen in the 1600s believed that the trees quaked in fear because the cross on which Jesus was crucified was made of aspen. Michael C Grant, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019 To study quaking giants, scientists use data from NASA’s planet-hunting Kepler telescope, which monitored the brightness of over 180,000 stars for years. Kevin Hartnett, Quanta Magazine, 22 Aug. 2023 From the earth, quaking scares [00:19:19] Laura: me. Laura Johnston, cleveland, 29 Aug. 2023 After each Band Blast class, my body was always left quaking. Andi Breitowich, Women's Health, 8 June 2023 Allow one hour to walk the trail and tour the quaking bog. Staff Report, Chicago Tribune, 5 June 2023 Mark Lemar Stewart) and Heidi Rodewald’s quaking score with mosh-pit-like proximity. Thomas Floyd, Washington Post, 4 May 2023 Chase and Bank Of America likely aren’t quaking in their boots but this could move the needle on stubbornly low interest rate payouts. Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 18 Apr. 2023
Noun
Although the freeway was deemed safe from collapse, experts said the bridge abutments needed even more strengthening with the installation of pilings to avoid damage in a future quake. Times Staff, Los Angeles Times, 13 Nov. 2023 The quake struck about 23 miles west-southwest from Mentone, Texas, around 4:27 a.m. local time. Minyvonne Burke, NBC News, 8 Nov. 2023 Then, on Wednesday, a magnitude 4.1 quake struck less than 50 miles outside of San Francisco's city center, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 19 Oct. 2023 No details were immediately available on the impact of the quake, which struck at 12:41 a.m. Jolie Lash, ABC News, 10 Oct. 2023 These further showed that a seismic wave velocity close to that which resulted from the quake was only possible if Mars had a small, dense core of liquid iron surrounded by a molten silicate layer—if the core was less dense, the waves would have traveled faster. Elizabeth Rayne, Ars Technica, 25 Oct. 2023 Satellite data is offering scientists critical clues that might help unravel the mechanics behind the quake and pin down the specific fault that ruptured. Aida Alami Hannah Reyes Morales, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2023 Scientists had predicted Mars would exhibit quakes up to a magnitude of about 5, but this forecast was only borne out by the single monster quake in InSight’s final months of operations. Jonathan O'Callaghan, Scientific American, 17 Oct. 2023 It was followed by a 5.0 magnitude quake in the same general area a few minutes later. Jolie Lash, ABC News, 10 Oct. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'quake.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of quake was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near quake

Cite this Entry

“Quake.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quake. Accessed 1 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

quake

1 of 2 verb
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

More from Merriam-Webster on quake

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!