Definitions for earthquake
ˈɜrθˌkweɪkearth·quake

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:3.7 / 11 votes

1. earthquake, quake, temblor, seismnoun

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

2. earthquakenoun

   a disturbance that is extremely disruptive

   "selling the company caused an earthquake among the employees"

WiktionaryRate this definition:3.8 / 12 votes

1. earthquakenoun

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

2. Etymology: ertheqwake, corresponding to.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Earthquakenoun

   Tremor or convulsion of the earth.

   Etymology: earth and quake.

   This subterranean heat or fire being in any part of the earth stopt, by some accidental glut or obstruction in the passages through which it used to ascend, and being preternaturally assembled in greater quantity into one place, causes a great rarefaction and intumescence of the water of the abyss, putting it into very great commotions; and making the like effort upon the earth, expanded upon the face of the abyss, occasions that agitation and concussion which we call an earthquake. John Woodward, Natural History.

   These tumults were like an earthquake, shaking the very foundations of all, than which nothing in the world hath more of horrour. Charles I .

   Was it his youth, his valour, or success,
   These might perhaps be found in other men:
   ’Twas that respect, that awful homage paid me;
   That fearful love which trembled in his eyes,
   And with a silent earthquake shook his soul. John Dryden, Sp. Fryar.

   The country, by reason of its vast caverns and subterraneous fires, has been miserably torn by earthquakes, so that the whole face of it is quite changed. Joseph Addison, Remarks on Italy.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Earthquake

   An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from those that are so weak that they cannot be felt, to those violent enough to propel objects and people into the air, damage critical infrastructure, and wreak destruction across entire cities. The seismic activity of an area is the frequency, type, and size of earthquakes experienced over a particular time period. The seismicity at a particular location in the Earth is the average rate of seismic energy release per unit volume. The word tremor is also used for non-earthquake seismic rumbling. At the Earth's surface, earthquakes manifest themselves by shaking and displacing or disrupting the ground. When the epicenter of a large earthquake is located offshore, the seabed may be displaced sufficiently to cause a tsunami. Earthquakes can also trigger landslides. In its most general sense, the word earthquake is used to describe any seismic event—whether natural or caused by humans—that generates seismic waves. Earthquakes are caused mostly by rupture of geological faults but also by other events such as volcanic activity, landslides, mine blasts, and nuclear tests. An earthquake's point of initial rupture is called its hypocenter or focus. The epicenter is the point at ground level directly above the hypocenter.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:3.6 / 5 votes

1. Earthquakenoun

   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. Earthquakeadjective

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

FreebaseRate this definition:4.1 / 7 votes

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.

Matched Categories

1. • Disturbance

Anagrams for earthquake »

1. heartquake

How to pronounce earthquake?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

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   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

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   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

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. Lucy Jones:

   Get to the ground before the earthquake throws you there, get under a table if it's nearby, the earth is moving so much, the biggest injury we see is sprained ankles and broken legs from people trying to run during an earthquake and it throws them to the ground.

2. Scott C. Holstad:

   she said i want you to meet him you'll like him really yeah i thought like car crash broken glass rusty razored underwear barbed wire cheer acid fear like walking down normandie naked nightly like tiger claws 'n earthquake falls i'll really relish meeting 'm.

3. Avraham Diskin:

   The party is going through a massive earthquake, it's clear that it is in very big danger.

4. Walter Kiefer:

   This is important because it controls the rate of internal geologic activity on the Moon, for context, the thermal energy coming out of Earth controls the rate at which Earth's geologic plates move, the development of mountain ranges, earthquake activity and volcanic eruptions.

5. William Carter:

   The elements necessary for that violation are: I knew there was a release, and I didn’t immediately report it — regardless of the cause, i mean, it could have been lightning or an earthquake did it and you knew it, and you didn’t report it in a timely fashion.

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