quake

American  

[kweyk] / kweɪk /

verb (used without object)

quakes, present (3rd person singular) quaked, past participle, past quaking present participle

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

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noun

quakes plural

1. an earthquake.

2. a trembling or tremulous agitation.

quake British  

/ kweɪk /

verb

1. to shake or tremble with or as with fear

2. to convulse or quiver, as from instability

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noun

1. the act or an instance of quaking

2. informal short for earthquake

Synonym Usage

See shiver ¹.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• unquaking
  adjective
• quakingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• quakes
  plural

Participles

• quaking
  present
• quaked
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• quake
  simple
• quakes
  simple
• have quaked
  perfect
• has quaked
  perfect
• am quaking
  progressive
• are quaking
  progressive
• is quaking
  progressive
• have been quaking
  perfect progressive
• has been quaking
  perfect progressive

Past

• quaked
  simple
• had quaked
  perfect
• was quaking
  progressive
• were quaking
  progressive
• had been quaking
  perfect progressive

Future

• will quake
  simple
• will have quaked
  perfect
• will be quaking
  progressive
• will have been quaking
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of quake

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

Explanation

When you quake, you tremble and shiver. A scary sound in a dark basement might make you quake. To quake is to move rapidly back and forth, so quickly that the movement is almost a vibration. If you've ever felt the floor quake during an actual earthquake, you know the fluttery, shaking kind of movement. A person can quake with fear, and a building can quake during a wind storm. You can also use the word quake as a noun, to describe the feeling itself. The Old English root is cwacian, or "tremble or clatter of teeth."

Example Sentences

Although Jessie tells the other toys that she’s positive no device can create the wonder she and her friends can for Bonnie, the quake in her voice says otherwise.

From Salon • Jun. 21, 2026

The local toys in yards all around the neighborhood quake.

From Salon • Jun. 21, 2026

A series of powerful aftershocks rocked the area from about two hours after the first quake, while hundreds of tiny tremors followed.

From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026

In the coastal province of Sarangani, the quake temporarily downed power and communication networks - though they were later restored.

From BBC • Jun. 8, 2026

In search of a little company and warmth, Ferula climbed into bed beside her, careful not to wake her up and whispering silent prayers so that the tremors would not become a fullblown quake.

From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende