A quake is a shaking or trembling movement, most often referring to an earthquake. When the ground quakes beneath your feet during an earthquake, the solid earth that normally feels stable suddenly shudders and shifts. The word captures that unsettling moment when something that should be steady starts to shake.

Quake can also describe any kind of trembling caused by fear or cold. A person might quake with fear during a thunderstorm, or quake from cold after jumping into icy water. When someone's voice quakes, it trembles with emotion, maybe from nervousness before a big presentation or sadness during a difficult conversation.

The word often appears in phrases like earthquake (the geological event) or quaking with fear (trembling from fright). There's something vivid about quake that makes it more intense than simply saying “shake.” When the earth quakes, or when someone quakes in their boots, you can almost feel that uncontrollable trembling.