1
general::
earthquake
a sudden shaking of the earth’s surface:
• The earthquake destroyed homes, telephone lines and roads.
quake
informal an earthquake – used especially in journalism:
• More than 2000 people died when a quake hit the island of Flores.
tremor
a small movement in the earth’s surface in which the ground shakes slightly:
• He was awoken by a series of tremors during the night.
aftershock
further movements in the earth’s surface that happen after a larger earthquake:
• In the days after the earthquake, the area suffered a series of aftershocks.
tsunami
an ocean wave caused by an earthquake under the water:
• There was no warning of the approaching tsunami.
Longman-Thesaurus
3
general::
noun ADJ. big, great, huge, major, massive, severe | minor, small EARTHQUAKE + VERB happen, hit sth, occur, strike (sth) The earthquake hit the city at two in the morning. | shake sth The earthquake shook buildings throughout the business district. | destroy sth, devastate sth, kill sb, leave sb homeless | measure sth an earthquake measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale EARTHQUAKE + NOUN zone PREP. in a/the ~ The block of flats was destroyed in an earthquake. PHRASES the epicentre of an earthquake, the magnitude of an earthquake
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
4
general::
earthquake
adjectives
big/large
• This is the biggest earthquake ever recorded in this area.
small
• The town experiences dozens of small earthquakes every year.
powerful
(= with a lot of force )
• Flights were cancelled after a powerful earthquake shook the northwest of the country.
a major earthquake
(= very big )
• If a major earthquake hits a large city, millions could die.
a minor earthquake
(= a small one )
• Minor earthquakes are relatively common.
a great/massive earthquake
(= extremely big )
• 1906 is remembered for the great earthquake that destroyed San Francisco.
a severe/devastating earthquake
(= causing a lot of damage )
• The whole town was flattened by a devastating earthquake.
verbs
an earthquake happens
( also an earthquake occurs formal )
• Scientists cannot predict when an earthquake will occur.
an earthquake hits/strikes a place
(= happens in a particular place )
• The region was struck by a major earthquake last year.
an earthquake destroys/damages something
• The earthquake completely destroyed all the buildings on the island.
an earthquake measures 5/6.4 etc on the Richter Scale
• The earthquake, which measured 7.6 on the Richter scale, left more than 20,000 homeless.
phrases
the magnitude of an earthquake
(= how powerful it is )
• Measuring stations identify the location and magnitude of an earthquake within a few minutes of the event.
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