Definitions for earthquake
ˈɜrθˌkweɪkearth·quake

Princeton's WordNet(3.73 / 11 votes)Rate this definition:

1. earthquake, quake, temblor, seism(noun)

   shaking and vibration at the surface of the earth resulting from underground movement along a fault plane of from volcanic activity

2. earthquake(noun)

   a disturbance that is extremely disruptive

   "selling the company caused an earthquake among the employees"

Wiktionary(3.75 / 12 votes)Rate this definition:

1. earthquake(Noun)

   A shaking of the ground, caused by volcanic activity or movement around geologic faults.

   Etymology: ertheqwake, corresponding to .

Webster Dictionary(3.60 / 5 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Earthquake(noun)

   a shaking, trembling, or concussion of the earth, due to subterranean causes, often accompanied by a rumbling noise. The wave of shock sometimes traverses half a hemisphere, destroying cities and many thousand lives; -- called also earthdin, earthquave, and earthshock

2. Earthquake(adj)

   like, or characteristic of, an earthquake; loud; starling

Freebase(4.14 / 7 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Earthquake

   An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time. Earthquakes are measured using observations from seismometers. The moment magnitude is the most common scale on which earthquakes larger than approximately 5 are reported for the entire globe. The more numerous earthquakes smaller than magnitude 5 reported by national seismological observatories are measured mostly on the local magnitude scale, also referred to as the Richter scale. These two scales are numerically similar over their range of validity. Magnitude 3 or lower earthquakes are mostly almost imperceptible or weak and magnitude 7 and over potentially cause serious damage over larger areas, depending on their depth. The largest earthquakes in historic times have been of magnitude slightly over 9, although there is no limit to the possible magnitude. The most recent large earthquake of magnitude 9.0 or larger was a 9.0 magnitude earthquake in Japan in 2011, and it was the largest Japanese earthquake since records began. Intensity of shaking is measured on the modified Mercalli scale. The shallower an earthquake, the more damage to structures it causes, all else being equal.

How to pronounce earthquake?

1. 

   Alex

   US English

   

   Daniel

   British

   

   Karen

   Australian

   

   Veena

   Indian

How to say earthquake in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of earthquake in Chaldean Numerology is: 5

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of earthquake in Pythagorean Numerology is: 8

Examples of earthquake in a Sentence

1. Dipendra Jha:

   The earthquake has rattled the parties, and also shown how a good constitution needs to be part of the reconstruction process, but it should not be a chance for the ruling classes to reassert their power and forget those who are marginalized. I do not want another conflict in the future.

2. Philip Peterson:

   I think it's safe to say that, not measured in magnitude or location but in terms of how strong the ground itself shook during the earthquake.

3. Len Gengel:

   We look at Brit's text as a gift to us, that three hours before the earthquake, Grand Goave would send that text message and it resonated with us, there's no relief from the poverty here, and we're doing everything we can to help the community in which we live.

4. Harold Prévil:

   What frustrated me a lot and made me feel really sad and sick was that I thought that the Haitian people and the Haitians who were in charge of the country would have taken [the earthquake] as an opportunity to make the country better, but it has not happened. My leaders have become more selfish, they have been robbing more. So instead of taking the opportunity to change the country, they've made it worse.

5. Von Ness:

   It's just destruction. There's debris all over the place. it was kind of like a mini-earthquake.

Images & Illustrations of earthquake

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