quake

verb

\ ˈkwāk

quaked; quaking

Definition of quake

(Entry 1 of 2)

intransitive verb

1 : to shake or vibrate usually from shock or instability

2 : to tremble or shudder usually from cold or fear

quake

noun

Definition of quake (Entry 2 of 2)

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

Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More about quake

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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

And that’s what Blinded by the Light, in all its heart-stopping, hard-rocking, earth-quaking sonic glory, nails about the appeal of Springsteen and the eternally fulfilling, exhilarating experience of being his fan. — Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, "What Blinded by the Light understands about the power of Springsteen's music," 16 Aug. 2019 Defenders of photography as an art form tend to quake at what’s happening with their beloved medium. — Leah Ollman, Los Angeles Times, "Review: Writing the book on selfies — sociologist reframes social photos," 10 Aug. 2019 Satellite images: California quakes left a crack in the Earth so big it can be seen from space 'A blessing and a miracle': Earthquakes ravaged Los Angeles and San Francisco. — N'dea Yancey-bragg, USA TODAY, "Nevada authorities investigate what may be first death related to California earthquakes," 10 July 2019 Roston sings with the soul-quaking conviction of gospel, only without the promise of redemption. — Nelson Pressley, Washington Post, "Solo actors capture dark and light in ‘Twisted Melodies’ and ‘Every Brilliant Thing’," 25 June 2019 Many astronomers now believe that the space-quaking merger of two neutron stars can forge the universe’s supply of heavy elements. — Quanta Magazine, "A New Blast May Have Forged Cosmic Gold," 23 Mar. 2017 Don’t think for one second Ed Sedar’s Milwaukee Brewers were knocking their knees and quaking in their cleats when the archrival Cubs spent $43 million on closer Craig Kimbrel. — George Castle, Lake County News-Sun, "Sedar's point: Waukegan West grad Ed Sedar rides the wave as Milwaukee Brewers’ third base coach," 13 June 2019 High-speed 64th notes were in abundance, and there were also mercurial mood changes, widely spaced mega-chords and quaking, two-note tremolos. — Barbara Jepson, WSJ, "A Master of the Virtuosic Miniature in New York," 24 Jan. 2019 Wastewater can trigger the initial earthquakes, but quakes themselves can lead to more quakes. — Fox News, "Oklahoma sees more severe earthquakes, fewer overall," 7 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The quake hit a little after 8 a.m. and the epicenter was at a depth of about six miles in the Pacific Ocean, according to the Geological Survey. — oregonlive, "2 earthquakes hit off Oregon coast, no tsunami expected," 6 Sep. 2019 The European-Mediterranean Seismological Center (EMSC) reported that the quake hit the town of Magoula, which is 14 miles north-west of the city center and reached 5.1 on the Richter scale. — Patrick Smith, NBC News, "Athens, Greece hit by earthquake," 19 July 2019 Northern Los Angeles County would have experienced more shaking had the quake occurred on a fault with a different tilt. — Rong-gong Lin Ii, latimes.com, "Ridgecrest earthquake packed the power of 45 nuclear bombs, but its impact was muted," 13 July 2019 The Pelicans-Knicks game at the adjoining Thomas and Mack Center was halted after the quake hit and fans began to quickly leave the arena. — Roy Parry, orlandosentinel.com, "Magic top Spurs in Summer League opener shortened by earthquake," 6 July 2019 The quake was also felt as far away as Las Vegas, and as far south as Mexico, according to the Associated Press. — Charles Ventura, USA TODAY, "7.1-magnitude earthquake jolts Southern California: Here's what we know," 6 July 2019 Many fans began leaving just as the quake hit, and more departed when the delay was announced. — Tim Reynolds, chicagotribune.com, "Earthquake rattles Dodger Stadium, postpones NBA summer league game," 5 July 2019 The quake hit near the Channel Islands area, near cities such as Los Angeles and Ventura. — Elizabeth Zwirz, Fox News, "5.3-magnitude earthquake rattles Southern California, reportedly strongest to hit region in decades," 2 Oct. 2018 There have been numerous aftershocks from the July 4 and 5 quakes, the largest in Southern California in nearly two decades. — Los Angeles Times, "5.0 earthquake felt near Ridgecrest," 22 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'quake.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

25 Aug 2019

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Time Traveler for quake

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

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More Definitions for quake

quake

verb

English Language Learners Definition of quake

: to shake because of fear, anger, etc.

: to shake violently

See the full definition for quake in the English Language Learners Dictionary

quake

verb

\ ˈkwāk

quaked; quaking

Kids Definition of quake

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : to shake usually from shock or lack of stability The explosion made the house quake.

2 : to tremble or shudder usually from cold or fear Regardless, the guards' faces were stern and hard, and she quaked inside.— Grace Lin, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon