quake

American  

[kweyk] / kweɪk /

verb (used without object)

quaked, quaking

1. (of persons) to shake or tremble from cold, weakness, fear, anger, or the like.

   He spoke boldly even though his legs were quaking.

   Synonyms:

   shudder

2. (of things) to shake or tremble, as from shock, internal convulsion, or instability.

   The earth suddenly began to quake.

   Synonyms:

   quiver

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noun

1. an earthquake.

2. a trembling or tremulous agitation.

quake British  

/ kweɪk /

verb

1. to shake or tremble with or as with fear

2. to convulse or quiver, as from instability

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noun

1. the act or an instance of quaking

2. informal short for earthquake

Related Words

See shiver ¹.

Other Word Forms

• quakingly adverb
• unquaking adjective

Etymology

Origin of quake

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English cwacian “to shake, tremble”

Explanation

When you quake, you tremble and shiver. A scary sound in a dark basement might make you quake. To quake is to move rapidly back and forth, so quickly that the movement is almost a vibration. If you've ever felt the floor quake during an actual earthquake, you know the fluttery, shaking kind of movement. A person can quake with fear, and a building can quake during a wind storm. You can also use the word quake as a noun, to describe the feeling itself. The Old English root is cwacian, or "tremble or clatter of teeth."

Example Sentences

People in Japan are still scarred by memories of a huge quake in 2011 that triggered a tsunami which killed more than 18,000 people and caused a meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant.

From BBC • Apr. 20, 2026

AFP was the only international news agency on the ground in Myanmar's capital Naypyidaw when the quake hit, with its team the first international journalists to reach the city of Mandalay.

From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026

It’s those very works that made Goldin such a venerated powerhouse in the art world, and in turn, an activist who made the museum industry quake.

From Salon • Mar. 14, 2026

When Covid hit, this social compact appeared to quake.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 28, 2026

“Then with a sudden wrench, the quake hit hard.”

From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland