quaked; quaking
1
: to shake or vibrate usually from shock or instability
2
: to tremble or shudder usually from cold or fear
: 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
Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Oct. 2025
The agitated, ominous vibration of giant power lines and quaking transmission towers feels like a Greek chorus throughout Paul Greengrass’s intense new wildfire thriller, The Lost Bus.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 6 Sep. 2025
Christopher Cann, USA Today, 4 Dec. 2025
This constant movement generates numerous small to moderate quakes each year, many of them occurring along faults that run near population centers such as Reno, Carson City and Las Vegas.
—Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for quake
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Verb
The majority of the action, however, unfolds in a claustrophobic one-shot inside a tent, with our heroes quaking at the whoops and cries surrounding them.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Oct. 2025
The agitated, ominous vibration of giant power lines and quaking transmission towers feels like a Greek chorus throughout Paul Greengrass’s intense new wildfire thriller, The Lost Bus.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 6 Sep. 2025
Noun
The quake was soon deleted from the agency's map, but not before people as far as San Francisco received the alert telling them to take cover.
—Christopher Cann, USA Today, 4 Dec. 2025
This constant movement generates numerous small to moderate quakes each year, many of them occurring along faults that run near population centers such as Reno, Carson City and Las Vegas.
—Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for quake
Cite this Entry
“Quake.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quake. Accessed 8 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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