earthquake

noun

ˈərth-ˌkwāk How to pronounce earthquake (audio)
Definition of earthquakenext
1
as in quake
a shaking of the earth the San Andreas Fault is notorious for its earthquakes

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in upheaval
a violent disturbance (as of the political or social order) the election of the socialist candidate caused a political earthquake that nearly led to a military coup

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of earthquake Many lives still buried under the rubble Antonio Santander called on authorities to help search for his grandson and the other people who remain missing after the earthquakes. — Sonia Osorio, Miami Herald, 17 July 2026 Leo had been to hundreds of disasters, mounting life saving operations in earthquakes, floods, landslides. — Josh Fox, IndieWire, 17 July 2026 Perhaps the hardest part of an earthquake isn’t when the ground stops shaking. — Cristina Guevara, The Orlando Sentinel, 17 July 2026 Earlier this year, a strong earthquake rattled southern and central Mexico, killing two. — ABC News, 17 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for earthquake
Recent Examples of Synonyms for earthquake
  1. quake
  2. upheaval
  3. tremor
  4. unrest
  5. revolution
  6. storm
Noun
  • Not necessarily in magnitude — though the Vrancea zone is geologically capable of producing a magnitude 8 quake — but in damages and deaths.
    — Andrei Popoviciu, The Dial, 21 July 2026
  • Shaking from a quake could damage wharves, piers, buildings and roadway above the seawall.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 July 2026
Definition of quake
Noun
  • Amid all the upheaval and seemingly inconsistent interpretation of rules, Bill Ford appears to be asking for a strategy beyond exclusion that also might withstand a regime change or two.
    — Adam Ismail, The Drive, 16 July 2026
  • Other players find trade speculation stressful, a reasonable response to the sudden life upheaval that ensues.
    — Marcus Thompson II, New York Times, 11 July 2026
Definition of upheaval
Noun
  • For the last few years, my dad, an Army veteran with my bone-dry sense of humor, has fought a progressive neurological disorder that causes severe tremors in his arms, legs and neck.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 22 July 2026
  • People who develop racing heartbeats, tremors, anxiety, insomnia, reflux, headaches or reproducible palpitations after drinking coffee should not ignore those symptoms simply because population studies are reassuring.
    — Robert Glatter, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
Definition of tremor
Noun
  • Diesel costs may continue to rise amid ongoing unrest in the strait and skittish oil investors wary of a global shortage, Miller said.
    — Max Zahn, ABC News, 17 July 2026
  • Telemachus learns from another king, Trojan War–vet Menelaus (Jon Bernthal), that there’s unrest among his subjects as well.
    — Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 15 July 2026
Definition of unrest
Noun
  • Andrew Garfield trades modern superheroes for medieval revolution in the trailer for The Uprising, Paul Greengrass’ historical drama inspired by England’s 1381 peasant revolt.
    — Sophie Miller, Rolling Stone, 16 July 2026
  • If those confirm the lab numbers, CAU-10-H could become a key piece of the MOF revolution, pulling drinking water from the sky wherever the rain no longer falls.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 16 July 2026
Definition of revolution
Noun
  • The storm system that caused historic flooding in West Virginia Tuesday into Wednesday and wreaked havoc from the Ohio Valley to the East Coast will linger across Virginia and the Southeast through the end of the week.
    — Briana Waxman, CNN Money, 23 July 2026
  • Onlookers watched the storm surge at the Lake Pontchartrain estuary, with kids splashing in the floodwaters as Bertha approached the Louisiana Coast.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 23 July 2026
Definition of storm

Browse Nearby Words

earthly
earthquake
earthquakes
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Cite this Entry

“Earthquake.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/earthquake. Accessed 24 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on earthquake

Nglish: Translation of earthquake for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about earthquake

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