Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

seismic waves

Cultural  
  1. In geology, shock waves in solid rock generated by earthquakes or underground explosions. (See seismology.)


Discover More

Seismic waves travel through the Earth and can be detected far from their source.

Most of our knowledge of the Earth's interior comes from studying seismic waves.

The measurement of seismic waves is also important in detecting underground nuclear tests.

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.

“The passage of seismic waves from the first earthquake could have rattled nearby faults already prone to a rupture.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 25, 2026

To reliably tell mantle earthquakes apart from crustal ones, Wang and Klemperer developed a technique that compares two kinds of seismic waves.

From Science Daily • Feb. 20, 2026

Andrew’s humiliation makes it clear that, six years after Epstein’s death, the scandal continues to create seismic waves of social and political destruction.

From Salon • Oct. 31, 2025

“We can use the ambient seismic vibrations and analyze the speed of seismic waves to sense the aquifers,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 13, 2025

The four main types of seismic waves each have distinct characteristics.

From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Look it up. Learn it forever.

Remember "seismic waves" for good with VocabTrainer. Expand your vocabulary effortlessly with personalized learning tools that adapt to your goals.

Take me to Vocabulary.com