quake

[kweyk]

verb (used without object)

quaked, quaking 

1. (of persons) to shake or tremble from cold, weakness, fear, anger, or the like.

   He spoke boldly even though his legs were quaking.

   Synonyms: shudder

2. (of things) to shake or tremble, as from shock, internal convulsion, or instability.

   The earth suddenly began to quake.

   Synonyms: quiver

noun

1. an earthquake.

2. a trembling or tremulous agitation.

quake

/ kweɪk /

verb

1. to shake or tremble with or as with fear

2. to convulse or quiver, as from instability

noun

1. the act or an instance of quaking

2. informal,  short for earthquake

Other Word Forms

• quakingly adverb
• unquaking adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of quake¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English cwacian “to shake, tremble”

Word History and Origins

Origin of quake¹

Old English cwacian; related to Old English cweccan to shake, Old Irish bocaim, German wackeln

Synonym Study

See shiver ¹.

Example Sentences

The first was a magnitude 3.8 quake, which was followed a minute later by a magnitude 3.5 temblor, according to the U.S.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

This combination of chemical and biological changes indicates that the quake swarm temporarily boosted the resources available to deep microbial life.

Read more on Science Daily

Before the 2011 quake and tsunami, which killed around 18,000 people, nuclear power generated about a third of Japan's electricity, with fossil fuels contributing most of the rest.

Read more on Barron's

Scientists rate the strength of an earthquake using the moment magnitude scale, a system that gauges the amount of energy released by the quake and assigns it a number.

Read more on Literature

This shallowness means that such quakes can cause more noticeable and potentially damaging ground movement.

Read more on Science Daily