Fault vs. Earthquake — What's the Difference?

A character weakness, especially a minor one.

An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in size from those that are so weak that they cannot be felt to those violent enough to propel objects and people into the air, and wreak destruction across entire cities.

Something that impairs or detracts from physical perfection; a defect.

A sudden movement of the earth's crust caused by the release of stress accumulated along geologic faults or by volcanic activity. Also called seism, temblor.

A mistake; an error

A shaking of the ground, caused by volcanic activity or movement around geologic faults.

A minor offense or misdeed

(planetary geology) Such a quake specifically occurring on the planet Earth, as opposed to other celestial bodies.

Responsibility for a mistake or an offense; culpability.

(figuratively) A sudden and intense upheaval; a severely disruptive event.

(Geology) A fracture in the continuity of a rock formation caused by a shifting or dislodging of the earth's crust, in which adjacent surfaces are displaced relative to one another and parallel to the plane of fracture. Also called shift.

(intransitive) To undergo an earthquake.

(Electronics) A defect in a circuit or wiring caused by imperfect connections, poor insulation, grounding, or shorting.

A shaking, trembling, or concussion of the earth, due to subterranean causes, often accompanied by a rumbling noise. The wave of shock sometimes traverses half a hemisphere, destroying cities and many thousand lives; - called also earthdin, earthquave, and earthshock.

(Sports) A service of the ball that violates the rules in tennis and similar games.

Like, or characteristic of, an earthquake; loud; startling.

(Archaic) A lack or deficiency.

Shaking and vibration at the surface of the earth resulting from underground movement along a fault plane of from volcanic activity

To find error or defect in; criticize or blame

A disturbance that is extremely disruptive;

(Geology) To produce a fault in; fracture.

To commit a mistake or an error.

(Geology) To shift so as to produce a fault.

(Sports) To commit a fault, as in tennis.

A defect; something that detracts from perfection.

A mistake or error.

A weakness of character; a failing.

A characteristic, positive or negative or both, which subjects a person or thing to increased risk of danger.

A minor offense.

Blame; the responsibility for a mistake.

(seismology) A fracture in a rock formation causing a discontinuity.

(mining) In coal seams, coal rendered worthless by impurities in the seam.

(tennis) An illegal serve.

(electrical) An abnormal connection in a circuit.

(obsolete) want; lack

(hunting) A lost scent; act of losing the scent.

(transitive) To criticize, blame or find fault with something or someone.

To fracture.

(intransitive) To commit a mistake or error.

To undergo a page fault.

Defect; want; lack; default.

Anything that fails, that is wanting, or that impairs excellence; a failing; a defect; a blemish.

A moral failing; a defect or dereliction from duty; a deviation from propriety; an offense less serious than a crime.

A dislocation of the strata of the vein.

A lost scent; act of losing the scent.

Failure to serve the ball into the proper court.

A defective point in an electric circuit due to a crossing of the parts of the conductor, or to contact with another conductor or the earth, or to a break in the circuit.

A dislocation caused by a slipping of rock masses along a plane of facture; also, the dislocated structure resulting from such slipping.

To charge with a fault; to accuse; to find fault with; to blame.

To interrupt the continuity of (rock strata) by displacement along a plane of fracture; - chiefly used in the p. p.; as, the coal beds are badly faulted.

To err; to blunder, to commit a fault; to do wrong.

Responsibility for a bad situation or event;

(geology) a crack in the earth's crust resulting from the displacement of one side with respect to the other;

The quality of being inadequate or falling short of perfection;

A wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention;

An imperfection in a device or machine;

(sports) a serve that is illegal (e.g., that lands outside the prescribed area);

(electronics) equipment failure attributable to some defect in a circuit (loose connection or insulation failure or short circuit etc.);

Put or pin the blame on