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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of earthquake
Why the restart matters Japan shut down all of its 54 nuclear reactors in the wake of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that triggered meltdowns at Fukushima Daiichi, the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl.
—
Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 21 Jan. 2026
The earthquake struck at a depth of just 2 miles, with its epicenter roughly 12 miles north-northeast of Indio.
—Ca Earthquake Bot, Sacbee.com, 21 Jan. 2026
With her blistering lyrics, the Canadian singer set off a cultural earthquake.
—Rebecca Castagna, CBS News, 21 Jan. 2026
Based on the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco, this story highlights the struggles of a diverse group of women who come together to survive more than the destruction of their city.
—Barbara Ellis, Denver Post, 15 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for earthquake
Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 21 Jan. 2026
The earthquake struck at a depth of just 2 miles, with its epicenter roughly 12 miles north-northeast of Indio.
—Ca Earthquake Bot, Sacbee.com, 21 Jan. 2026
With her blistering lyrics, the Canadian singer set off a cultural earthquake.
—Rebecca Castagna, CBS News, 21 Jan. 2026
Based on the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco, this story highlights the struggles of a diverse group of women who come together to survive more than the destruction of their city.
—Barbara Ellis, Denver Post, 15 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for earthquake
Recent Examples of Synonyms for earthquake
Noun
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Those who felt the quake are encouraged to report it through the USGS Felt Report form.—
CA Earthquake Bot,
Sacbee.com,
26 Jan. 2026
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But San Ramon is special, Minson said, and swarms of small quakes happen there roughly once a decade on average.—
Paul Rogers,
Mercury News,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Worse, perhaps, leadership in moments of upheaval requires a certain theatricality and improvisational creativity that establishment Republican politicians tend to lack.—
Walter Russell Mead,
The Atlantic,
24 Jan. 2026
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The currency market would also experience upheaval as the euro would soar, representing a major headwind on the eurozone’s exports and economic growth, Brown added.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
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In addition to tremors emanating from within the planet, these sensors detect explosions, traffic vibrations and even the vocalizations made by whales in the oceans.—
Tereza Pultarova,
Space.com,
24 Jan. 2026
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For reasons still not wholly understood, these ultradense objects—each about the mass of our star squeezed into a bizarre, city-sized ball of degenerate quantum matter—undergo starquakes in which the material on the surface shifts a bit like in an earthly tremor.—
Phil Plait,
Scientific American,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The sweeps, in addition to crowd-management responsibilities, are typically dealt with by local police, who often have more experience and training in de-escalating large demonstrations and tamping down civil unrest.—
Anna Schecter,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
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But two shootings of US citizens and scenes of unrest in Minnesota are blotting out any hope of that.—
Shelby Talcott,
semafor.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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One of the bloodiest moments in that revolution, which deposed the last Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, and led to the rise of the incumbent Islamist regime, occurred on September 8, 1978.—
Paul Iddon,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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But unlike then, some of those calling for a revolution today are also pleading for American or Israeli intervention to help achieve it.—
Davood Moradian,
The Atlantic,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The tragedy marked the second fatal incident involving North Texas students during the winter storm.—
Michael Dorgan,
FOXNews.com,
28 Jan. 2026
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Several crashes have been reported across North Texas Wednesday morning, as roadways remain icy and hazardous following a winter storm that swept through the region this past weekend.—
Briauna Brown,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Earthquake.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/earthquake. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.
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