Find the word definition

Crossword clues for earthquake

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
earthquake
noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a devastating flood/fire/earthquake etc
▪ The country is still recovering from last year's devastating floods.
a flood/earthquake/cyclone etc victim
▪ Earthquake victims were living in tents in the city's parks.
an earthquake zone (=where earthquakes are quite likely to happen)
▪ It’s not advisable to build nuclear reactors in an earthquake zone.
be destroyed by fire/a bomb/earthquake etc
▪ The building was destroyed by fire in 2004.
Sichuan Earthquake, the
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADJECTIVE
big
▪ In the country's last big earthquake, in 1986, the brunt was born by old buildings in San Salvador.
▪ They had survived what was, at least, a Pretty Big Onethe largest earthquake to strike northern California in eighty-three years.
▪ In 1925, Santa Barbara broke apart in a big earthquake and the city got a second chance.
great
▪ Downbuckling is marked by an offshore trench. Great earthquakes occur adjacent to the inclined contact between the two plates.
large
▪ Meanwhile, large earthquakes have occurred in Landers and Los Angeles.
▪ In 1928 and 1931, two large earthquakes in New Zealand produced strong traces on Seismographs throughout the world.
▪ Michael said it might help warn of a large impending earthquake by detecting foreshocks.
▪ They had survived what was, at least, a Pretty Big Onethe largest earthquake to strike northern California in eighty-three years.
▪ They are among the many victims of a series of large earthquakes that began slamming the Assisi-Foligno area on Sept. 26.
major
▪ More tremors hit Cairo More earth tremors have hit Cairo impeding the relief effort following the major earthquake.
▪ The greatest impact would occur with a major earthquake along the full Hayward Fault.
▪ Drawing on experience, the city is bracing for a major earthquake within the next 25 years.
northridge
▪ They withdrew in the wake of the January 1994 Northridge earthquake, which caused $ 8 billion worth of insured residential losses.
▪ The availability crisis developed after the January 1994 Northridge earthquake, which inflicted more than $ 8 billion in insured residential losses.
▪ Yet the Northridge earthquake was relatively small.
powerful
▪ Two powerful earthquakes, on Jan. 13 and Feb. 13, killed at least 1,246 people and injured another 8,000.
small
▪ In the silence the noise sounded like a small earthquake but he paid no attention to it.
▪ Unfortunately, foreshocks are just like any other small earthquake.
▪ Since then, the region has experienced a rash of smaller earthquakes.
▪ Add a small local earthquake and most men would have given up the ghost.
■ NOUN
coverage
▪ Wilson signed a bill easing the earthquake coverage requirements.
▪ California law requires companies that issue homeowners policies to offer earthquake coverage as well.
insurance
▪ The expense of earthquake insurance and the high cost of deductibles are blamed for the low numbers of people carrying quake insurance.
▪ He believed he had earthquake insurance, but wasn't sure.
magnitude
▪ One of the city's best known landmarks, the Space Needle, was built to handle a 9.1 magnitude earthquake.
▪ A 5.4-#magnitude earthquake hits southern Oregon, killing a motorist whose pickup was hit by falling rock.
■ VERB
cause
▪ He claimed that the site was geologically unsound and any stress caused by a shift in water levels could cause an earthquake.
▪ This year, two tectonic plates are shifting in a fashion that could cause economic earthquakes.
▪ A torn heart also causes earthquakes.
▪ This catastrophe - probably caused by an earthquake and explosion of gases - may be the reason.
destroy
▪ In 1741-7 a new church was built but it was destroyed by earthquake in 1748.
▪ They discover that the marker commemorating the shoot-out was destroyed by an earthquake in 1983.
devastate
▪ The Yaruba is sent from Texas to San Fernando with a supply of drinking water for the port, devastated by earthquake.
▪ Several decades later, San Franciscan George Lawrence took amazing overhead shots of his city after the devastating 1906 earthquake.
▪ At the time the city was devastated by a huge earthquake in 1923, the population of Tokyo was in excess of 3.5 million.
shake
▪ On 4 March 1977, Bucharest was shaken by a severe earthquake.
▪ San Francisco was shaken by a severe earthquake which, together with the fire that followed, almost completely destroyed the city.
▪ There was a terrifying rumbling noise and the stairs shook as though a minor earthquake had passed beneath the house.
▪ The building shook like an earthquake.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a violent storm/earthquake/explosion etc
▪ According to these learned fellows, the universe began with a violent explosion.
▪ During a violent storm it broke away and drifted westwards until it hit land on the barren headland of San Quentin.
▪ Passing beneath it, Crevecoeur was reminded of a violent storm of hail beating upon his head.
▪ The second is part of the river Indus, which was diverted after a violent earthquake in 1819.
▪ The slaves gathered on August 30, 1800, but disbanded because a violent storm and flood made military operations impossible.
▪ This caused a violent explosion resulting in extensive damage.
▪ Travelling home one night in a violent storm, Polly was struck by lightning and had to be destroyed.
▪ Within minutes the brown patch of sky enveloped me, as a violent storm swept across the dunes.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ Kobe was devastated by the 1995 earthquake.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ A car crash, an earthquake, a burning factory are much better.
▪ I mean, it was more than an earthquake.
▪ The earthquake of October 1989 reminded San Franciscans of the awesome power of the thing.
▪ The 1989 earthquake rendered them dangerous, and the structure came down in 1991.
▪ There was a terrifying rumbling noise and the stairs shook as though a minor earthquake had passed beneath the house.
▪ They had survived what was, at least, a Pretty Big Onethe largest earthquake to strike northern California in eighty-three years.
▪ This catastrophe - probably caused by an earthquake and explosion of gases - may be the reason.
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Earthquake

Earthquake \Earth"quake`\, a. Like, or characteristic of, an earthquake; loud; startling.

The earthquake voice of victory.
--Byron.

Earthquake

Earthquake \Earth"quake`\, n. 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, and earthshock.

Earthquake alarm, 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.

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
earthquake

late 13c., eorthequakynge, from earth + quake (n.). In this sense Old English had eorðdyn, eorðhrernes, eorðbeofung, eorðstyrung.

Wiktionary
earthquake

n. A shaking of the ground, caused by volcanic activity or movement around geologic faults. (from 14th c.)

WordNet
earthquake
  1. n. shaking and vibration at the surface of the earth resulting from underground movement along a fault plane of from volcanic activity [syn: quake, temblor, seism]

  2. a disturbance that is extremely disruptive; "selling the company caused an earthquake among the employees"

Wikipedia
Earthquake

An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the perceptible shaking of the surface of the Earth, resulting from the sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can be violent enough to toss people around and destroy whole cities. The seismicity or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time.

Earthquakes are measured using observations from seismometers. The moment magnitude is the most common scale on which earthquakes larger than approximately 5 are reported for the entire globe. The more numerous earthquakes smaller than magnitude 5 reported by national seismological observatories are measured mostly on the local magnitude scale, also referred to as the Richter magnitude scale. These two scales are numerically similar over their range of validity. Magnitude 3 or lower earthquakes are mostly imperceptible or weak and magnitude 7 and over potentially cause serious damage over larger areas, depending on their depth. The largest earthquakes in historic times have been of magnitude slightly over 9, although there is no limit to the possible magnitude. Intensity of shaking is measured on the modified Mercalli scale. The shallower an earthquake, the more damage to structures it causes, all else being equal.

At the Earth's surface, earthquakes manifest themselves by shaking and sometimes displacement of the ground. When the epicenter of a large earthquake is located offshore, the seabed may be displaced sufficiently to cause a tsunami. Earthquakes can also trigger landslides, and occasionally volcanic activity.

In its most general sense, the word earthquake is used to describe any seismic event — whether natural or caused by humans — that generates seismic waves. Earthquakes are caused mostly by rupture of geological faults, but also by other events such as volcanic activity, landslides, mine blasts, and nuclear tests. An earthquake's point of initial rupture is called its focus or hypocenter. The epicenter is the point at ground level directly above the hypocenter.

Earthquake (film)

Earthquake is a 1974 American ensemble disaster film directed and produced by Mark Robson. The plot concerns the struggle for survival after a catastrophic earthquake destroys most of the city of Los Angeles, California.

Directed by Mark Robson and with a screenplay by George Fox and Mario Puzo, the film starred a large cast of well-known actors, including Charlton Heston, Ava Gardner, George Kennedy, Lorne Greene, Geneviève Bujold, Richard Roundtree, Marjoe Gortner, Barry Sullivan, Lloyd Nolan, Victoria Principal, and (under an alias) Walter Matthau. It is notable for the use of an innovative sound effect called Sensurround which created the sense of actually experiencing an earthquake in theatres.

Earthquake (album)

Earthquake is the first album from Uli Jon Roth's Electric Sun band. It was released in 1979 by Metronome GmbH.

Earthquake (cocktail)

The Tremblement de Terre (or "Earthquake") Cocktail has been attributed to the French Post-Impressionist painter Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. The name is derived from its effects, which tend to "shake up" the drinker.

In a wine goblet mix:

  • 3 parts Absinthe
  • 3 parts Cognac
Earthquake (Little Boots song)

"Earthquake" is a song by English recording artist Little Boots from her debut studio album, Hands (2009). Written by Boots and Greg Kurstin and produced by Kurstin, the song was released in the United Kingdom on 16 November 2009 as the album's third and final single. It debuted at number eighty-four on the UK Singles Chart, dropping off the chart the following week.

Earthquake (Labrinth song)

"Earthquake" is a song by British musician Labrinth which features long-time collaborator Tinie Tempah. The track was released on 23 October 2011 in the United Kingdom as the second single from the artist's debut studio album, Electronic Earth (2012). It debuted at number two on the UK Singles Chart, having sold 115,530 copies setting the second highest one week sales at number 2 of the year, behind Little Mix.

Earthquake (disambiguation)

An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust( the outer layer) that creates seismic waves.

Earthquake may also refer to:

  • Earthquake (film), a 1974 film starring Charlton Heston and Ava Gardner
  • Earthquake (cocktail), a cocktail containing absinthe and cognac
  • Earthquake (comedian) (born 1963), American stand-up comedian
  • Earthquake (comics), a fictional character in the Marvel Universe
  • Earthquake (Gladiators), an event in the television series Gladiators
  • Earthquake (Samurai Shodown), a fictional character in the video game series Samurai Shodown
  • Earthquake, a ringname of John Tenta, Canadian professional wrestler
  • Earthquake: The Big One, a former attraction at Universal Studios Florida
  • San Jose Earthquakes, an American professional soccer team
  • " "Earthquake" (Modern Family)", a 2010 Modern Family episode
  • Earthquake map in mathematics
Earthquake (comedian)

Nathaniel Martin Stroman (born May 29, 1963), best known as "Earthquake", is an American actor, voice artist, and comedian. He currently hosts his own radio show on WBLS.

Earthquake performed a half-hour HBO special as part of the series One Night Stand, which first aired on August 26, 2005. He also had a small role in Kevin Smith's film Clerks II, and a supporting role in the film The Longshots. He had a recurring role as Chris' Uncle Mike, on Everybody Hates Chris. He voiced Root the Rooster in the 2006 CGI film, Barnyard and in the video game of the same title, and continues to do so on the TV series spinoff, Back at the Barnyard.

Earthquake (Modern Family)

"Earthquake" is the third episode of the second season of the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) American sitcom, Modern Family and the 27th episode overall. The episode originally aired October 6, 2010. It was written by Paul Corrigan & Brad Walsh and directed by Michael Spiller. It guest starred Nathan Lane as Pepper Saltzman and Vic Polizos as a plumber.

In the episode, an earthquake causes Claire to be stuck in the bathroom with the plumber. Gloria interprets the natural disaster as a sign that God wants Jay to go to church while Mitchell and Cameron use it as an excuse to not attend Peppers party.

"Earthquake" received positive reviews from critics. The episode also received a nomination for Episode Comedy at the 2010 Writers Guild of America Awards, but ultimately lost.

According to the Nielsen Media Research, the episode received a 4.6 rating/13% share among adults between the ages of 18 and 49 receiving the same rating from the previous episode and also tied for being the highest rated scripted program with Glee.

Earthquake (Mýa song)

"Earthquake" is an R&B/ hip hop song by American recording artist Mýa. It served as Harrison's first U.S. digital single from her sixth studio album K.I.S.S. (Keep It Sexy & Simple) (2011) and featured Miami rapper Trina. The song was originally due to be featured on the Japanese version of K.I.S.S., however the song was pulled out of respect to the victims affected by the earthquake in Japan. The song was written by The Pen Up Dolls (Lindsay "Lindz" Fields, Cristo Jeanette, and Nia Myricks) and produced by Young Yonny and @goodguydez.

"Earthquake" was released to iTunes on December 6, 2011. It is Harrison's first single to be released in the United States four years after her studio album Liberation (2007).

Earthquake (DJ Fresh and Diplo song)

"Earthquake" is a single by British disc jockey DJ Fresh and American counterpart Diplo featuring vocals from Dominique Young Unique. The song was released in the United Kingdom on 18 August 2013 as the lead single from his fourth studio album. An edited version of the song with extra production and sound effects features in the film Kick-Ass 2, under the name "Motherquake". It contains a sample from the song " Teach Me How to Dougie" by the hip hop group Cali Swag District. "Earthquake" peaked at number four on the UK Singles Chart, number three on the UK Dance Chart and topped the UK Indie Chart.

The debut performance of "Earthquake" occurred during DJ Fresh's set at the New York leg of the international Electric Daisy Carnival festival. Dominique and DJ Fresh performed "Earthquake" again at Radio 1's Big Weekend, during the latter's headlining set on the "1Xtra Arena/In New Music We Trust Stage". DJ Fresh and Dominique Young Unique performed the track live on 4Music panel show 'McFlurry Music Mix Up' presented by Rickie and Melvin on 19 August 2013.

Usage examples of "earthquake".

I seem to remember that once the West Lighthouse was right under me, and then there was a sort of agonizing feeling, as if I were in an earthquake, and I came back and found you shaking my body.

Fortunately there is little changed here: my old Albergo, -- ruinous with earthquake -- is down and done with -- but few novelties are observable -- except the regrettable one that the silk industry has been transported elsewhere -- to Cornuda and other places nearer the main railway.

Massive forest trees splintered and snapped, and ragged sections of mountains were torn free and crumbled into dust as the blistering force of wind and earthquake gripped the four lands.

Act as Sister Heriburg had acted, when they had fled from Darre in the aftermath of the earthquake.

Even now the wild fae, loosed in hideous quantity by the earthquake, would be gravitating toward the minds that could manifest it.

At first, much of the damage there suggested natural causes: an earthquake, perhaps, that had left downed buildings, fissured roadways, and fires casually gutting homes from which all occupants had fled.

Gyges or Gyes, and Briareus--and represented the frightful crashing of waves, and its resemblance to the convulsions of earthquakes.

But the pride of the Roman Solomon, before twenty years had elapsed, was humbled by an earthquake, which overthrew the eastern part of the dome.

He had a number of bones looted from an Armenian church in Jerusalem following the terrible Dead Sea Rift earthquake.

The mischievous effects of an earthquake, or deluge, a hurricane, or the eruption of a volcano, bear a very inconsiderable portion to the ordinary calamities of war, as they are now moderated by the prudence or humanity of the princes of Europe, who amuse their own leisure, and exercise the courage of their subjects, in the practice of the military art.

Or maybe it was an earthquake drill, like the kind they had on Nerol near the equator.

Beside him, black and misshapen, hulked Nagrim the nicor, whose earthquake weight left a swathe of crushed plants.

Beside him, black and misshapen, hulked Nagrim the nicor, whose earthquake weight left a swath of crushed plants.

Hellespont that swarms with fish, my crews manning the oarlocks, rowing out with a will, and if the famed god of the earthquake grants us safe passage, 440 the third day out we raise the dark rich soil of Phthia.

The plain becomes studded in an instant with piles of corpses, even as the smiling surface of the sea will sometimes become studded in an instant with many islands uplifted by a sudden shock of earthquake.