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
May’s eruption persisted through late June, and December’s eruption began on the Reykjanes Peninsula after weeks of thousands of earthquakes.
—
Ty Roush, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024
Puerto Rico was then hit by devastating natural disasters, including Hurricane Maria in 2017 and a series of earthquakes in 2020, in addition to the pandemic.
—Nicole Acevedo, NBC News, 4 Nov. 2024
Now Morisseau, who is half Haitian and half Black American, is exploring a new setting, that of urbane Port-au-Prince, some years after the 2010 earthquake, a natural disaster that brought to the fore, with devastating clarity, the unnatural cycles of exploitation that threaten to define Haiti.
—Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2024
During the California Gold Rush, San Francisco was almost wiped out by a magnitude 7.9 earthquake.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 31 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for earthquake 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Ty Roush, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024
Puerto Rico was then hit by devastating natural disasters, including Hurricane Maria in 2017 and a series of earthquakes in 2020, in addition to the pandemic.
—Nicole Acevedo, NBC News, 4 Nov. 2024
Now Morisseau, who is half Haitian and half Black American, is exploring a new setting, that of urbane Port-au-Prince, some years after the 2010 earthquake, a natural disaster that brought to the fore, with devastating clarity, the unnatural cycles of exploitation that threaten to define Haiti.
—Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2024
During the California Gold Rush, San Francisco was almost wiped out by a magnitude 7.9 earthquake.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 31 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for earthquake
Articles Related to earthquake
Dictionary Entries Near earthquake
Cite this Entry
“Earthquake.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/earthquake. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
earthquake
noun
earth·quake
ˈərth-ˌkwāk
: a shaking or trembling of a portion of the earth
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share