aftershock

2 definitions • 2 examples

a sudden movement of the earth's surface that often follows an earthquake and is less violent than the first main movement:

The initial earthquake was followed by a series of aftershocks.

a sudden movement of the earth’s surface that often follows an earthquake and is less violent than the first main movement:

fig. There's going to be a real aftershock (= powerful effect) if the party loses another election.