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
Synonyms
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
Julyssa Lopez, Rolling Stone, 11 Mar. 2024
In 2020, after an 800-year interregnum, parts of the land started shaking, quaking and inflating, signifying the incursion of magma from deep below.
—Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 13 Feb. 2024
Justin Simien made sure every crypt door creaked and every tombstone quaked in Haunted Mansion, his spirited movie adaptation of the beloved Disney parks attractions operating at several resorts around the world.
—Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 28 July 2023
Now, the talent drops off behind starters at wide receiver, tight end, and all five spots on the line, but enough reserves have seen action that the 49ers shouldn’t quake in their cleats.
—Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 25 Jan. 2024
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.
—WIRED, 26 Nov. 2023
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
From the earth, quaking scares [00:19:19] Laura: me.
—Laura Johnston, cleveland, 29 Aug. 2023
Emily Feng, NPR, 4 Apr. 2024
Efforts are underway to rescue those who were left trapped by the earthquake—including 50 people aboard mini buses heading to Taroko National Park, partially located in Hualien County, the quake’s epicenter, and 64 individuals stuck in a rock quarry.
—Simmone Shah, TIME, 3 Apr. 2024
Emergency services are prepared for quake rescue and recovery.
—John Bacon, USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2024
In 2011, more than 18,000 people were killed after a 9.0-magnitude quake hit off the coast of Japan, causing a 23-foot tsunami that devastated the coast and damaged the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
—Victoria Bisset, Washington Post, 3 Apr. 2024
Introduction The quakes that rocked the region in November helped point the way.
—Robin George Andrews, Quanta Magazine, 20 Feb. 2024
On the moon, however, a magnitude 5 quake would feel much stronger and bring more devastating consequences.
—Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Feb. 2024
For many months, long-period quakes had shivered within the peninsula’s deep crust.
—Robin George Andrews, Quanta Magazine, 20 Feb. 2024
While chatting with Entertainment Tonight in Los Angeles on Friday, the actress, 34, had a quintessentially Johnson way of responding to the 4.6-magnitude quake, which occurred mid-interview.
—Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 13 Feb. 2024
Verb
But the studio lights are on, and the entire building is practically quaking from the exuberant blast of horns that keeps going on and on.
—Julyssa Lopez, Rolling Stone, 11 Mar. 2024
In 2020, after an 800-year interregnum, parts of the land started shaking, quaking and inflating, signifying the incursion of magma from deep below.
—Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 13 Feb. 2024
Justin Simien made sure every crypt door creaked and every tombstone quaked in Haunted Mansion, his spirited movie adaptation of the beloved Disney parks attractions operating at several resorts around the world.
—Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 28 July 2023
Now, the talent drops off behind starters at wide receiver, tight end, and all five spots on the line, but enough reserves have seen action that the 49ers shouldn’t quake in their cleats.
—Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 25 Jan. 2024
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.
—WIRED, 26 Nov. 2023
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
From the earth, quaking scares [00:19:19] Laura: me.
—Laura Johnston, cleveland, 29 Aug. 2023
Noun
Every year, the island experiences more than 2,000 small quakes a year, though only a fraction are sizable enough to be noticeable to humans.
—Emily Feng, NPR, 4 Apr. 2024
Efforts are underway to rescue those who were left trapped by the earthquake—including 50 people aboard mini buses heading to Taroko National Park, partially located in Hualien County, the quake’s epicenter, and 64 individuals stuck in a rock quarry.
—Simmone Shah, TIME, 3 Apr. 2024
Emergency services are prepared for quake rescue and recovery.
—John Bacon, USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2024
In 2011, more than 18,000 people were killed after a 9.0-magnitude quake hit off the coast of Japan, causing a 23-foot tsunami that devastated the coast and damaged the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
—Victoria Bisset, Washington Post, 3 Apr. 2024
Introduction The quakes that rocked the region in November helped point the way.
—Robin George Andrews, Quanta Magazine, 20 Feb. 2024
On the moon, however, a magnitude 5 quake would feel much stronger and bring more devastating consequences.
—Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Feb. 2024
For many months, long-period quakes had shivered within the peninsula’s deep crust.
—Robin George Andrews, Quanta Magazine, 20 Feb. 2024
While chatting with Entertainment Tonight in Los Angeles on Friday, the actress, 34, had a quintessentially Johnson way of responding to the 4.6-magnitude quake, which occurred mid-interview.
—Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 13 Feb. 2024
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.
Dictionary Entries Near quake
Cite this Entry
“Quake.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quake. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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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