earthquake
noun
earth·quake
ˈərth-ˌkwāk 
1
: a shaking or trembling of the earth that is volcanic or tectonic in origin
2
Examples of earthquake in a Sentence
a building destroyed by earthquake
the San Andreas Fault is notorious for its earthquakes
Recent Examples on the Web
Victims of the earthquake have been mostly killed outdoors by falling rocks or landslides.
—
Wayne Chang, CNN, 6 Apr. 2024
Though buildings that can reach above 100 stories might seem especially vulnerable to earthquakes, engineering experts say skyscrapers are built with enough flexibility to withstand moderate shaking.
—Philip Marcelo, Fortune, 6 Apr. 2024
The earthquake did not cause damage, but reverberated for 30 seconds throughout the shop.
—Thomas Fuller, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2024
Mary Walrath-Holdridge The East Coast was caught by surprise when a 4.8 magnitude earthquake hit the New Jersey region Friday morning.
—USA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2024
The earthquake was centered near Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
—Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 5 Apr. 2024
These aren’t the first earthquakes to shake the area recently.
—Tanasia Kenney, Miami Herald, 5 Apr. 2024
That change in stress causes earthquakes over time, Sonder said.
—Dan Rosenzweig-Ziff, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2024
The most important lesson California can learn from earthquakes elsewhere is that they are bound to happen, Hough said.
—Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
Wayne Chang, CNN, 6 Apr. 2024
Though buildings that can reach above 100 stories might seem especially vulnerable to earthquakes, engineering experts say skyscrapers are built with enough flexibility to withstand moderate shaking.
—Philip Marcelo, Fortune, 6 Apr. 2024
The earthquake did not cause damage, but reverberated for 30 seconds throughout the shop.
—Thomas Fuller, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2024
Mary Walrath-Holdridge The East Coast was caught by surprise when a 4.8 magnitude earthquake hit the New Jersey region Friday morning.
—USA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2024
The earthquake was centered near Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
—Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 5 Apr. 2024
These aren’t the first earthquakes to shake the area recently.
—Tanasia Kenney, Miami Herald, 5 Apr. 2024
That change in stress causes earthquakes over time, Sonder said.
—Dan Rosenzweig-Ziff, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2024
The most important lesson California can learn from earthquakes elsewhere is that they are bound to happen, Hough said.
—Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'earthquake.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Earthquake.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/earthquake. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
earthquake
noun
earth·quake
ˈərth-ˌkwāk
: a shaking or trembling of a portion of the earth
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