moonquake

American

[moon-kweyk] / ˈmunˌkweɪk /

noun

a seismic vibration of the moon's surface.

moonquake British

/ ˈmuːnˌkweɪk /

noun

a light tremor of the moon, detected on the moon's surface

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of moonquake

First recorded in 1935–40; moon + (earth)quake

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Expanding the map of potential moonquake sources provides scientists with new opportunities to study the Moon's interior and tectonic behavior.

From Science Daily • Feb. 18, 2026

Onodera inspected each one to confirm it had the expected seismic shape of a moonquake.

From Science Magazine • Mar. 20, 2024

Some of the first seismic waves detected after a moonquake are scattered by this layer, and the scatter obscures later-arriving waves that could provide more information about the depths of the Moon.

From Science Daily • Feb. 29, 2024

The scientists got no television pictures of the moon as planned; they could count no ' meteorites nor could their carefully packed moonquake meter land in working order.

From Time Magazine Archive

The surface was cracked and seamed, as if by a moonquake.

From Lost on the Moon Or, in Quest of the Field of Diamonds by Rockwood, Roy

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023