quaked; quaking
1
: to shake or vibrate usually from shock or instability
2
: to tremble or shudder usually from cold or fear
: an instance of shaking or trembling (as of the earth or moon)
especially
: earthquake
Synonyms
Examples of quake in a Sentence
Verb
She was quaking with rage.
The explosion made the whole house quake.
Noun
the quake registered 6.5 on the Richter scale, causing widespread damage
Recent Examples on the Web
Mirjam Swanson, Orange County Register, 4 Apr. 2024
But the studio lights are on, and the entire building is practically quaking from the exuberant blast of horns that keeps going on and on.
—Julyssa Lopez, Rolling Stone, 11 Mar. 2024
In 2020, after an 800-year interregnum, parts of the land started shaking, quaking and inflating, signifying the incursion of magma from deep below.
—Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 13 Feb. 2024
Justin Simien made sure every crypt door creaked and every tombstone quaked in Haunted Mansion, his spirited movie adaptation of the beloved Disney parks attractions operating at several resorts around the world.
—Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 28 July 2023
Now, the talent drops off behind starters at wide receiver, tight end, and all five spots on the line, but enough reserves have seen action that the 49ers shouldn’t quake in their cleats.
—Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 25 Jan. 2024
To study quaking giants, scientists use data from NASA’s planet-hunting Kepler telescope, which monitored the brightness of over 180,000 stars for years.
—WIRED, 26 Nov. 2023
Presently, based on the proximity of the magma to the surface and the constant seismic rumbling, Iceland’s Meteorological Office suspects that there is a very high likelihood of an eruption, somewhere along that 10-mile-long line of deformed and quaking ground, in the coming days.
—WIRED, 16 Nov. 2023
French Canadian woodsmen in the 1600s believed that the trees quaked in fear because the cross on which Jesus was crucified was made of aspen.
—Michael C Grant, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019
Don Sweeney, Sacramento Bee, 10 Apr. 2024
The quakes caused fatalities and significant property damage elsewhere in Taiwan, but the company’s operations weren’t harmed and workers returned safely soon after the incident.
—Corina Vanek, The Arizona Republic, 8 Apr. 2024
The quake was followed by a 3.8 magnitude around 6 p.m., with an epicenter about four miles southwest of Gladstone, New Jersey according to the USGS.
—USA TODAY, 8 Apr. 2024
Your brilliance will thunder, even if your voice quakes.
—Kyle Thomas, Peoplemag, 7 Apr. 2024
The quake was measured at 3.4 magnitude, according the U.S. Geological Survey.
—Kate Talerico, The Mercury News, 6 Apr. 2024
The quake had a depth of about 1 kilometer, according to USGS.
—Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 6 Apr. 2024
That quake left more than 100,000 buildings across Taiwan completely or partially collapsed, including nearly 300 schools.
—Wayne Chang, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024
Every year, the island experiences more than 2,000 small quakes a year, though only a fraction are sizable enough to be noticeable to humans.
—Emily Feng, NPR, 4 Apr. 2024
Verb
The mortals among us would have been quaking with that kind of weight on our shoulders.
—Mirjam Swanson, Orange County Register, 4 Apr. 2024
But the studio lights are on, and the entire building is practically quaking from the exuberant blast of horns that keeps going on and on.
—Julyssa Lopez, Rolling Stone, 11 Mar. 2024
In 2020, after an 800-year interregnum, parts of the land started shaking, quaking and inflating, signifying the incursion of magma from deep below.
—Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 13 Feb. 2024
Justin Simien made sure every crypt door creaked and every tombstone quaked in Haunted Mansion, his spirited movie adaptation of the beloved Disney parks attractions operating at several resorts around the world.
—Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 28 July 2023
Now, the talent drops off behind starters at wide receiver, tight end, and all five spots on the line, but enough reserves have seen action that the 49ers shouldn’t quake in their cleats.
—Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 25 Jan. 2024
To study quaking giants, scientists use data from NASA’s planet-hunting Kepler telescope, which monitored the brightness of over 180,000 stars for years.
—WIRED, 26 Nov. 2023
Presently, based on the proximity of the magma to the surface and the constant seismic rumbling, Iceland’s Meteorological Office suspects that there is a very high likelihood of an eruption, somewhere along that 10-mile-long line of deformed and quaking ground, in the coming days.
—WIRED, 16 Nov. 2023
French Canadian woodsmen in the 1600s believed that the trees quaked in fear because the cross on which Jesus was crucified was made of aspen.
—Michael C Grant, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019
Noun
The nearly 4-mile deep quake hit 19 miles from Morgan Hill at 1:09 a.m.
—Don Sweeney, Sacramento Bee, 10 Apr. 2024
The quakes caused fatalities and significant property damage elsewhere in Taiwan, but the company’s operations weren’t harmed and workers returned safely soon after the incident.
—Corina Vanek, The Arizona Republic, 8 Apr. 2024
The quake was followed by a 3.8 magnitude around 6 p.m., with an epicenter about four miles southwest of Gladstone, New Jersey according to the USGS.
—USA TODAY, 8 Apr. 2024
Your brilliance will thunder, even if your voice quakes.
—Kyle Thomas, Peoplemag, 7 Apr. 2024
The quake was measured at 3.4 magnitude, according the U.S. Geological Survey.
—Kate Talerico, The Mercury News, 6 Apr. 2024
The quake had a depth of about 1 kilometer, according to USGS.
—Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 6 Apr. 2024
That quake left more than 100,000 buildings across Taiwan completely or partially collapsed, including nearly 300 schools.
—Wayne Chang, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024
Every year, the island experiences more than 2,000 small quakes a year, though only a fraction are sizable enough to be noticeable to humans.
—Emily Feng, NPR, 4 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'quake.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near quake
Cite this Entry
“Quake.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quake. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
quake
1 of 2 verb
quaked; quaking
1
: to shake or vibrate usually from shock or lack of stability
2
: to tremble or shudder usually from cold or fear
quake
2 of 2 noun
: a shaking or trembling
especially
: earthquake
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