quake

American  

[kweyk] / kweɪk /

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

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noun

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

Related Words

See shiver ¹.

Other Word Forms

• quakingly
  adverb
• unquaking
  adjective

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

Notably, seismic sensors from Nevada are available to help warn Californians that a huge Las Vegas quake has begun and that incoming shaking is seconds away.

From Los Angeles Times • May 4, 2026

Later, the agency warned the risk of a quake measuring 8.0 or higher was now "relatively higher than during normal times".

From BBC • Apr. 20, 2026

AFP was the only international news agency on the ground in Myanmar's capital Naypyidaw when the quake hit, with its team the first international journalists to reach the city of Mandalay.

From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026

It’s those very works that made Goldin such a venerated powerhouse in the art world, and in turn, an activist who made the museum industry quake.

From Salon • Mar. 14, 2026

His cry was answered by roars from Voldemort’s giants: They ran at Grawp like bull elephants, making the earth quake.

From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling