English · Word Candidate

earthquake

/ˈɜːθkweɪk/

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Also seen as: earthquakes · earthquaking · earthquaked

Sense 1

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

A shaking of the ground, caused by volcanic activity or movement around geologic faults.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

sự rung lắc của mặt đất do hoạt động núi lửa hoặc chuyển động quanh đứt gãy địa chất

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Noun

Examples

Her alablaster brest she soft did kis, / Which all that while shee felt to pant and quake, / As it an Earth-quake were: at last she thus bespake.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

Such a quake specifically occurring on the planet Earth, as opposed to other celestial bodies.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

chính xác là động đất xảy ra trên hành tinh Earth

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Noun

Examples

Since the response of some man-made structures to the ground motion near the epicenter is highly dependent on frequency, a significant difference in potential damage to the structures is expected between earthquakes and moonquakes.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 3

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

To undergo an earthquake.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

trải qua động đất

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Verb

Examples

Watch the Philippines very closely for the next little while. There is rumbling and earthquaking deep within Pinatubo and increased earthquaking within Mayon.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “earthquake” mean?

A shaking of the ground, caused by volcanic activity or movement around geologic faults.

Is “earthquake” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.