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EARTHQUAKE
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I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Shaking and vibration at the surface of the earth resulting from underground movement along a fault plane or from volcanic activity
Synonyms:
earthquake; quake; seism; temblor
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("earthquake" is a kind of...):
geological phenomenon (a natural phenomenon involving the structure or composition of the earth)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "earthquake"):
seismic disturbance; shock (an instance of agitation of the earth's crust)
earth tremor; microseism; tremor (a small earthquake)
seaquake; submarine earthquake (an earthquake at the sea bed)
Sense 2
Meaning:
A disturbance that is extremely disruptive
Example:
selling the company caused an earthquake among the employees
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Hypernyms ("earthquake" is a kind of...):
commotion; disruption; disturbance; flutter; hoo-ha; hoo-hah; hurly burly; kerfuffle; to-do (a disorderly outburst or tumult)
Context examples:
They have acquired new and almost unlimited powers; they can command the thunders of heaven, mimic the earthquake, and even mock the invisible world with its own shadows.
(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)
Only the year before, however, there had been a terrific earthquake, and the upper end of the tunnel had fallen in and completely disappeared.
(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
The disturbance measurements following the earthquake rupture are circled in black.
(GPS Data Show How Nepal Quake Disturbed Earth’s Upper Atmosphere, NASA)
His work determined that the rings respond to vibrations within the planet itself, acting similarly to the seismometers used to measure movement caused by earthquakes.
(Scientists Finally Know What Time It Is on Saturn, NASA)
"I feel as if there had been an earthquake," said Jo, as their neighbors went home to breakfast, leaving them to rest and refresh themselves.
(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)
So, here was another earthquake of which I became the sport, before I had recovered from the shock of its predecessor!
(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)
Fiber-optic cables in a global undersea telecommunications network could one day help scientists study offshore earthquakes and the geologic structures hidden deep beneath the ocean surface.
(Underwater telecom cables make superb seismic network, National Science Foundation)
The researchers then directed high-frequency sound waves over the device, causing it to vibrate and distort, like a tiny earthquake.
(Quantum state of single electrons controlled by ‘surfing’ on sound waves, University of Cambridge)
A disaster can be a natural disaster, like a hurricane, tornado, flood or earthquake.
(Disaster Preparation and Recovery, Federal Emergency Management Agency)
It was sultry and oppressive, reminding me of what the old Californians term “earthquake weather.”
(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)
