earthquake
noun
earth·quake
| \ ˈərth-ˌkwāk
\
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Definition of earthquake
1
: a shaking or trembling of the earth that is volcanic or tectonic in origin
2
: upheaval sense 2
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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
That makes the structure vulnerable to strong-magnitude earthquakes, which are fortunately quite rare in the region. — Jennifer Ouellette, Wired, "The Rock That Vibrates in Time With Earth, Wind, and Waves," 2 Sep. 2019 That fault unleashed the 1933 Long Beach earthquake, which killed 120 people and prompted some of the state’s first seismic building regulations. — Deborah Netburn, Los Angeles Times, "Earthquake fault long thought dormant could devastate Los Angeles, researchers say," 31 Aug. 2019 Civil Air Patrol helps the area in case of emergency disasters such as wildfires, earthquakes, etc. — Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, "Letter: We need to keep Reid-Hillview open for future aviators," 28 Aug. 2019 Officials promise the end is in sight: Two years from now, residents will have a sturdy, modern sewer system that’s more likely to withstand a major earthquake, and commuters will have faster, more reliable bus service. — Rachel Swan, SFChronicle.com, "City says it’s back on track with long-delayed Van Ness transit project," 18 Aug. 2019 Fracking and the deep-well injection of its waste waters have been widely linked to earthquakes. — Stephen Leahy, National Geographic, "Fracking boom tied to methane spike in Earth’s atmosphere," 15 Aug. 2019 Those dams would likely fail during an earthquake, KLCC has reported. — Hillary Borrud | The Oregonian/oregonlive, oregonlive.com, "Gov. Kate Brown signals she may veto one bill and line-item veto three spending provisions," 5 Aug. 2019 The atoll was prone to rain and earthquakes, which could cause the ground at the drilling sites to liquefy. — Carina Julig, The Denver Post, "Denver-based firm goes to work in the middle of the Indian Ocean," 2 Aug. 2019 In a region prone to earthquakes, Mr. Shimizu said, some citizens are concerned about the construction of a hydrogen plant. — River Davis, WSJ, "A Fukushima Ghost Town Seeks Rebirth Through Renewable Energy," 12 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'earthquake.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for earthquake
earthquake
noun
English Language Learners Definition of earthquake
: a shaking of a part of the Earth's surface that often causes great damage
See the full definition for earthquake in the English Language Learners Dictionary
earthquake
noun
earth·quake
| \ ˈərth-ˌkwāk
\
\
Kids Definition of earthquake
: a shaking or trembling of a portion of the earth
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