as in earthquake
a shaking of the earth
the quake registered 6.5 on the Richter scale, causing widespread damage
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in to shake
to make a series of small irregular or violent movements
the horror film was so scary it left us quaking with fear for hours afterwards
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of quake
CBS News, 15 Apr. 2025
While Istanbul was not impacted, the devastation in southern Turkey heightened fears of a similar quake with experts citing the city’s proximity to fault lines.
—Mehmet Guzel, Chicago Tribune, 13 Apr. 2025
The New Yorker, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2025
From a distance, Macdonald’s own life has the shudder of a dark fairy tale, answered by the quaking in his books.
—Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 3 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for quake
Noun
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance via AP The quake was felt from San Diego to Los Angeles, 120 miles away.
—CBS News, 15 Apr. 2025
While Istanbul was not impacted, the devastation in southern Turkey heightened fears of a similar quake with experts citing the city’s proximity to fault lines.
—Mehmet Guzel, Chicago Tribune, 13 Apr. 2025
Verb
After the quaking subsides, Annie—left with no phone, money, or car—begins walking across what remains of the city.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2025
From a distance, Macdonald’s own life has the shudder of a dark fairy tale, answered by the quaking in his books.
—Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 3 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for quake
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quake
Noun
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Buying earthquake insurance can protect homeowners.—
Terry Collins,
USA Today,
8 June 2025
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The Mount Kinabalu earthquake of 2015 claimed 18 lives, including Singaporean students and teachers who had traveled to Borneo on a school expedition.—
Maureen O'Hare,
CNN Money,
7 June 2025
Verb
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Carnal, with care – Jis shook the bedrock of the cordial, conservative Guadalajara community with filth, camp and candor.—
Holly Jones,
Variety,
9 June 2025
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Some shook their legs nervously, others gave death glares to folks with the misfortune of sitting on creaky chairs.—
Omkar Khandekar,
NPR,
8 June 2025
Noun
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Interestingly, the inability to get out of the chair is not a strength issue, and tremors do not cause the decline in handwriting.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
23 May 2025
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The same goes for equipment that monitors earth tremors before volcanoes erupt.—
Ella Nilsen,
CNN Money,
20 May 2025
Verb
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That was after the pandemic lockdown brought concerts — and much of the world — shuddering to a halt in 2020 and much of 2021 (and before the COVID resurgence that followed).—
George Varga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 May 2025
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Trump’s early-morning social-media missive caused markets to shudder.—
Kate Nishimura,
Sourcing Journal,
23 May 2025
Verb
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More often than not, the jerking movements to get free only bring the meal into contact with more points of sticky contact.—
Riley Black,
Smithsonian Magazine,
6 June 2025
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Then stage two involves jerking movement, spasms, loss of vision, dementia, and seizures.—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
5 May 2025
Verb
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Your muscles get tense, your hands are sweaty, your voice starts trembling.—
Aliza Knox,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2025
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The nightmares returned after the shooting As Canty sat trembling for three hours in her professor’s podcasting studio at FSU, she was surrounded by friends, classmates and strangers who had been smashed together by the chaotic terror.—
Don Riddell,
CNN Money,
23 May 2025
Verb
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The green earth below the stone seems to vibrate with Dorian’s physical presence.—
Jayson Greene,
Vulture,
30 May 2025
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The males climb up trees and produce their shrill songs en masse, using muscles to vibrate a rigid part of their exoskeletons called tymbals.—
Jack Knudson,
Discover Magazine,
30 May 2025
Verb
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There’s quivering and shoving, growling and purring.—
Sara Netzley,
EW.com,
24 Apr. 2025
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The journalist raised her hand, and her voice quivered in seeming alarm as the 6.2-magnitude quake shook Istanbul shortly before 1 p.m. local time on Wednesday, April 23.—
Anna Lazarus Caplan,
People.com,
23 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Quake.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quake. Accessed 22 Jun. 2025.
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