as in shaking
marked by or given to small uncontrollable bodily movements
found the quaking stray dog wandering outside in the rain
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in shuddering
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 quaking
Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 3 Feb. 2026
For those communities quaking in terror, simply waiting three years for a new president is not sufficient.
—Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 22 Jan. 2026
The jiggly, quaking contraption is eye-catching—a natural social media star.
—Julia Sullivan, Outside, 23 Dec. 2025
The majority of the action, however, unfolds in a claustrophobic one-shot inside a tent, with our heroes quaking at the whoops and cries surrounding them.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Oct. 2025
Verb
Alex arrives to find Lucy literally quaking in fear, especially when Stephen summons the two of them to come meet his latest prey, whose name is Tegan.
—Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 3 Feb. 2026
For those communities quaking in terror, simply waiting three years for a new president is not sufficient.
—Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 22 Jan. 2026
The jiggly, quaking contraption is eye-catching—a natural social media star.
—Julia Sullivan, Outside, 23 Dec. 2025
The majority of the action, however, unfolds in a claustrophobic one-shot inside a tent, with our heroes quaking at the whoops and cries surrounding them.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quaking
Noun
-
At first this change of scale vivifies the butterfly—its brief stillness, the angle of its wings, its trembling—while freezing everything else, including the novel’s action.—
Ben Lerner,
The New York Review of Books,
19 Mar. 2026
-
Its strength ranges from mild, causing little more discomfort than a slight trembling, to severe, in which passengers or flight crew can be thrown around the cabin and risk injury if not wearing seatbelts.—
Cat Rainsford,
Popular Science,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Julia demonstrates how to cook a perfect little omelet without using any tools—just by shaking a pan in a magical way.—
Jeffrey Steingarten,
Vogue,
5 Apr. 2026
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Even the threat of reducing security for the Strait of Hormuz risks shaking confidence in a pillar of the world economy, as well as American wealth and power.—
Gerry Doyle,
Fortune,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The horror has come now like a storm— what if this night prefigured the night after death— what if all thereafter was an eternal quivering on the edge of an abyss, with everything base and vicious in oneself urging one forward and the baseness and viciousness of the world just ahead.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Mar. 2026
-
The old dog slowed to a stop, nose full of bird stink, feathery tail quivering.—
Joel M. Vance,
Outdoor Life,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
That all came to a shuddering halt after Khashoggi’s death.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Sat shuddering in my seat as the lights drew down.—
Sally Jenkins,
The Atlantic,
15 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
That week’s host, Emily Blunt, did the trembly voice-over.—
Michael Schulman,
The New Yorker,
21 Dec. 2020
Noun
-
Then, noticing changes in the wind and the rocking of the boat, an uneasiness crept over the veteran seaman.—
Kelly McGreal,
FOXNews.com,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Then there’s the literal rocking of docks and fishing boats, which causes disputes between different lake users.—
Dac Collins,
Outdoor Life,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Tony Fauci was not just jerking the country around.—
David Blumenthal,
Fortune,
24 Mar. 2026
-
The clip on TikTok shows the seat jerking abruptly, apparently from forceful pushes by the person seated behind her.—
Kelly McGreal,
FOXNews.com,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Other common side effects include nausea, flushing, headache, and abdominal cramping and uncontrollable shivering.—
Cindy Krischer Goodman,
Sun Sentinel,
5 Mar. 2026
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Symptoms are fatigue, confusion, disorientation, excessive shivering and loss of coordination.—
Amanda McCoy,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Quaking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quaking. Accessed 12 Apr. 2026.
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