noun
quake
kwayk
noun
1
Short for earthquake — a sudden violent shaking of the ground.
"The quake knocked out power across the city."
verb
1
To shake or tremble, often from fear.
"Her hands quaked as she opened the exam results."
"The ground quaked beneath their feet during the tremor."
How to Use Quake
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo shake or tremble — literally (the ground) or figuratively (from fear).
Common pairings
quake with fear
the earth quaked
a violent quake
Word Forms
quaked past tense, quoke past tense, quook past tense, quakes plural, quakes singular
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Etymology
From Old English cwacian, "to tremble, shake, chatter," of imitative origin describing a shaking motion.