the Richter scale

noun

technical

: a system of measurement used for showing the strength of an earthquake

The earthquake measured 4.5 on the Richter scale.

Examples of the Richter scale in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Despite the earth-shaking at the concert, the jumping didn't even register a 1 on the Richter scale. —Marina Watts, People.com, 12 May 2025

Several earthquakes rocked Istanbul on Wednesday, with the largest registering 6.2 on the Richter scale, according to Turkey's disaster agency. —Ross Rosenfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Apr. 2025

An earthquake measuring a colossal 7.8 on the Richter scale set off two avalanches from opposite directions that leveled those at the foot of the mountain. —Sabrina Ithal, Outside Online, 15 Sep. 2022

Just last Friday, Feb. 7, a minor earthquake struck Santa Clara County, Calif., registering a modest 3.3 on the Richter scale. —Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 10 Feb. 2025

Rhymes for the Richter scale

• abigail
• cottontail
• countervail
• fingernail
• martingale
• mesoscale
• microscale
• monorail
• nanoscale
• ponytail
• swallowtail
• wensleydale