earthquake

IPA/ˈɜːθkweɪk/
KK[ˈɚθkwˌek]IPA/ˈɜːrθkweɪk/

earthquake — noun

  • earthquakesingular
  • earthquakesplural

1. the sudden shaking of the ground when rock deep underground breaks or shifts

1.nounA2
Definition

the sudden shaking of the ground when rock deep underground breaks or shifts

Example

The earthquake last month destroyed many houses in Mizuki's hometown.

earthquake + destroyed for describing damage

Meera felt the earthquake while she was cooking dinner in her kitchen.

felt + earthquake + while-clause for timing

Common collocations
  • strong earthquake
  • major earthquake
  • earthquake hits/strikes
  • earthquake destroys
  • the earthquake happened
  • feel an earthquake
Synonyms
  • quake

    informal; a short form of 'earthquake', common in news headlines

  • tremor

    usually describes a smaller, less powerful shaking event

  • temblor

    formal or technical term, used mostly in American English geology reports

Grammar Patterns

earthquake + verb of destruction or movement

adjective + earthquake

feel + earthquake

Usage Note

Commonly paired with verbs that describe sudden impact, such as 'hit', 'strike', 'shake', and 'destroy'. 'Earthquake' is a countable noun — use 'an earthquake' or 'the earthquake' in singular form.

Common Mistakes

The earthquake was happened last night.
The earthquake happened last night.
'happen' is an intransitive verb and cannot be used in the passive voice.
There is earthquake in Japan.
There is an earthquake in Japan.
'earthquake' is a countable noun and needs an article in the singular.

Word family

  • quake
    nounB1
  • earthquake-prone
    adjectiveB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words refer to ground shaking, but they differ in scale and register. 'Earthquake' is the standard, neutral term for any size of seismic event. 'Quake' is an informal shortening used mainly in news headlines and casual speech ('a 6.2 quake hit the area'). 'Tremor' points to a smaller or weaker shaking — it may be barely noticeable or cause little damage — so it should not be used for major destructive events. 'Temblor' is a technical term from American English geology writing; it sounds formal and is rare in everyday conversation. For example: 'We felt a mild tremor this morning.' 'The earthquake destroyed the bridge.' 'A strong quake shook the city.' 'Scientists recorded a deep temblor off the coast.'

earthquake ↗quake ↗tremor ↗temblor ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • earthquake zone
  • earthquake damage
  • earthquake victims
  • earthquake drill

Adverbs

  • badly damaged by an earthquake
  • slightly shaken by an earthquake

Phrases

  • the ground shook during the earthquake
  • an earthquake of magnitude

Prepositions

  • during an earthquake
  • in an earthquake
  • after the earthquake

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word 'earthquake' is a compound of 'earth' (from Old English 'eorþe', meaning ground or soil) and 'quake' (from Old English 'cwacian', meaning to shake or tremble). It has been used in English since the 14th century to describe shaking of the ground.