Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A sudden movement of the earth's crust caused by the release of stress accumulated along geologic faults or by volcanic activity.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A movement or vibration of a part of the earth's crust.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun A shaking, trembling, or concussion of the earth, due to subterranean causes, often accompanied by a rumbling noise. The wave of shock sometimes traverses half a hemisphere, destroying cities and many thousand lives; -- called also
earthdin ,earthquave , andearthshock . - noun a bell signal constructed to operate on the theory that a few seconds before the occurrence of an earthquake the magnet temporarily loses its power.
- adjective Like, or characteristic of, an earthquake; loud; startling.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a disturbance that is extremely disruptive
- noun shaking and vibration at the surface of the earth resulting from underground movement along a fault plane of from volcanic activity
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Whether this earthquake is a punishment from God, I do not know.
Matthew Yglesias » Did Haiti Form a Pact With the Devil? 2010
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May be this earthquake is the begining of a new era for that nation.
Matthew Yglesias » Did Haiti Form a Pact With the Devil? 2010
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At Prophecy Update Jimmy DeYoung fills us in that:The word "earthquake" is used 19 times in the Bible, 13 times in the prophetic passages of the Word of God.
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"A man like me," Gandhi argued, "cannot but believe this earthquake is a divine chastisement sent by God for our sins" — in particular the sins of untouchability.
Tagore and His India 2001
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A few students took it as an opportunity to joke around with me in English if they've learned nothing else from me, they now know the word "earthquake", but a few other students were crying, some from shock and some from actual concern.
NPR Topics: News 2011
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This instantaneous release of mechanical energy is what we call earthquake and the strength of the quake is dependent upon the amount of energy accumulated in the rock over the years.
unknown title 2009
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But the word earthquake fit Myles’s tongue; it was something he understood, and it called for the same plan of action as whatever was really happening here, events he couldn’t quite grasp.
The Good House Tananarive Due 2003
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A flexible building, such as a wood framed house, or a building specifically engineered to flex during an earthquake is the most likely to survive.
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The first thing you have to do after an earthquake is clear the brush.
Think Progress » Obama asks George W. Bush to assist Haiti relief efforts. 2010
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When your days are spent in a struggle to ward off starvation, finding a shelter that will withstand an earthquake is never going to make your list of concerns.
StudyLearn123 commented on the word earthquake
I looked of this word for a school vocablury test thing :) i hope im A+ the test Fingers ccrossed.Have a good day everone. IM THE FRIST ONE TO DO THIS *-* ^0^
September 14, 2011
bilby commented on the word earthquake
It's a big response a billy tea being frist.
September 14, 2011