MEANING
To shake strongly, or figuratively feel intensely frightened.
Use it for
intense intimidation; comic exaggerated fearRaise the emotional scale or deliberately exaggerate it.
Words that belong together
- quake with fear
- quake in one’s boots
- quake at the thought
On the page
The new guard quaked at the thought of facing the prisoners alone.
The witness was quaking, but she refused to withdraw her statement.
He claimed the warning had left him quaking in his boots.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- quake / quakes
- Past tense
- quaked
- Past participle
- quaked
- Present participle
- quaking
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- quake / quakes
- Present continuous
- am/is/are quaking
- Present perfect
- have/has quaked
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been quaking
- Past
- quaked
- Past continuous
- was/were quaking
- Past perfect
- had quaked
- Past perfect continuous
- had been quaking
- Future
- will quake / quakes
- Future continuous
- will be quaking
- Future perfect
- will have quaked
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been quaking
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
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Usage notes
Primary category: fear. More emphatic than tremble; quaking in one’s boots can be comic. Earthquake-related literal uses are separate. Verb forms (base, third-person singular, past, past participle, -ing): quake, quakes, quaked, quaked, quaking.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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