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Glite Dictionary
to quake at

to quake at

1 7.4
To tremble because you are afraid
  • phrasal verb
  • /kwɛɪk æt/
translation icon : temblar ante
  • She quaked at the thought of speaking in front of the large audience.
  • quake at the sight

Examples

  • She tried not to quake at the thought of giving a speech to so many people.

  • Even the bravest warriors might quake at the roar of a lion.

  • The soldiers could not help but quake at the sound of approaching artillery.

  • Don't quake at the challenges!

  • She quakes at the thought of public speaking.

  • The villagers quaked at the sight of the approaching storm.

  • He quaked at the news of the impending layoffs at work.

Synonyms

to tremble
vsto quake at
164 2.5

To shake slightly without control because of fear, cold, or worry

is driven mainly by fear or apprehension rather than any cause
to shiver
vsto quake at
115 1.2

To shake slightly because of cold, fear or excitement

is used mainly when fear or worry causes the movement rather than cold
to shudder
vsto quake at
85 3.7

To shake suddenly because you feel cold, afraid, or very upset

is a steadier trembling due to ongoing fear rather than a sudden jerk
to thrill
vsto quake at
23 2.6

To shiver with sudden excitement or fear

is purely fear based and lacks the positive excitement element
to quake
vsto quake at
8 4.2

To shake because of fear, cold or strong movement

is milder and specifically caused by fear or apprehension
to shake like a leaf
vsto quake at
  • Informal
3 4.6

To tremble a lot because you are afraid, nervous, or cold

focuses specifically on fear or worry rather than cold
to jitter
vsto quake at
2 4.6

To shake or move quickly because you are nervous

is steadier trembling caused by fear rather than quick jerks
to quake in one's boots
vsto quake at
  • Informal
8.9

To feel very frightened and shake with fear

is similar but often less extreme and not always full-body
to didder
vsto quake at
  • Archaic
9.9

To shake slightly, often because of cold or strong feeling

is more clearly about fear or worry rather than general nervous motion

How Frightened

to quake at
1 7.4
to tremble
164 2.5
shake
55 1.8
flinch
5 4.8
start
34 1.0

Surface Forms

quake at infinitive
quaked at past
quaked at past participle
quaking at present participle
quakes at third person singular

Morphology

quake + at

The verb 'quake' already means 'to tremble or shake' and the preposition 'at' indicates the cause or target (as in 'quake at the thought'), so the sense 'to tremble because of fear or apprehension' is directly derivable from the constituents. This follows a common verb + preposition composition found cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

The phrasal verb quake at comes from the image of a person shaking when they face something scary: the person quakes at the thing that frightens them. That's why it means 'to tremble or shake because of fear'.