foreshock
noun
fore·shock
| \ ˈfȯr-ˌshäk
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Definition of foreshock
: any of the usually minor tremors commonly preceding the principal shock of an earthquake
Examples of foreshock in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The region was hit with a massive foreshock and earthquake over Fourth of July week, leaving both towns to pick up the pieces amid thousands of disquieting aftershocks. — David Wharton, Los Angeles Times, "Trona High football team gets a helping hand, and a marching band, from rival Ridgecrest," 9 Sep. 2019 In lab experiments, foreshocks have been observed leading up to almost all simulated earthquakes. — Jenny Howard, National Geographic, "Groundbreaking earthquake catalog may have just solved a seismic mystery," 13 Aug. 2019 The only possible precursors that stood out were foreshocks, the tiny temblors that can occur before a larger main event. — Jenny Howard, National Geographic, "Groundbreaking earthquake catalog may have just solved a seismic mystery," 13 Aug. 2019 More Quakes These foreshocks aren't noticeable on the surface. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "It's Really Hard to Predict an Earthquake, but Scientists Are Getting Closer," 14 Aug. 2019 For a more salient example, go back to the first foreshock of the great financial debacle. — Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, "Edward Lotterman: Hooray for complexity in the Federal Reserve’s structure," 3 Aug. 2019 So far, authorities believe one person has died as a result of the series of earthquakes that began with a magnitude 6.4 foreshock on July 4 -- a 55-year-old man in Pahrump, Nev., about 95 miles northeast of the epicenter. — Los Angeles Times, "More than 80,000 aftershocks and counting: Ridgecrest earthquakes keep shaking," 23 July 2019 Thursday’s quake is now being considered a foreshock to Friday’s, the USGS said. — Fox News, "Massive California earthquakes could be seen from space," 9 July 2019 The 2011 Tohoku earthquake in Japan, which triggered the Fukushima nuclear disaster, was preceded by a foreshock as well. — Tim Arango, BostonGlobe.com, "California earthquake rattles a state wary of the ‘Big One’," 6 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'foreshock.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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