How to Use the Richter scale in a Sentence

the Richter scale

noun
  • The strength of the shaking is expressed from 0-10 on the Richter scale.
    — Sven Karabegovic, The Salt Lake Tribune, 5 Sep. 2023
  • And their resulting roar might have registered on the Richter scale.
    — Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2024
  • Despite the earth-shaking at the concert, the jumping didn't even register a 1 on the Richter scale.
    — Marina Watts, People.com, 12 May 2025
  • That means whatever trades the Cardinals do make this year won’t register much on the Richter scale.
    — Katie Woo, New York Times, 20 June 2025
  • The crowd’s enthusiasm was at a level that quite literally could be measured on the Richter scale.
    — Amy Phillips, Pitchfork, 16 Oct. 2023
  • Geologists once used the Richter scale, but that measure is considered outdated and is no longer used.
    — Kerry Breen, CBS News, 5 Apr. 2024
  • The fish, our captain said, probably weighed about 350 pounds, not that big on the Richter scale of marlin, but quite big enough for me.
    — David Halberstam, Town & Country, 15 June 2023
  • Most people are at least colloquially familiar with the Richter scale.
    — Erik Klemetti, Discover Magazine, 31 Jan. 2024
  • Swift literally rocked Lisbon, with the star's show in the city registering on the Richter scale.
    — Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2024
  • So who's to say what musicians might or might not be able to achieve with revolutionary intent when the bouncing crowd makes the Richter scale shake?
    — Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 4 Nov. 2023
  • Every time an event, anywhere in the world, crosses a threshold on the Richter scale, the installation is dominated by a tritone played on a punk bass.
    — Pablo Larios, Artforum, 10 June 2026
  • And the 49ers’ remaining roster additions before next month’s draft figure to be similar moves that won’t register on the Richter scale.
    — Eric Branch, San Francisco Chronicle, 20 Mar. 2023
  • The blast at the AES facility, an explosives manufacturing plant, was felt dozens of miles away and was measured on the Richter scale.
    — Evan Mealins, Nashville Tennessean, 12 Oct. 2025
  • Both Beyoncé and Swift have had powerhouse tours this year – like, move the needle on local and national economies (not to mention the Richter scale) powerful.
    — Lisa Respers France, CNN, 7 Oct. 2023
  • Much like the Richter scale for earthquakes, this classification system is logarithmic, with each step representing a tenfold increase in energy.
    — George Monastiriakos, Newsweek, 30 Dec. 2024
  • While not a precise scientific designation, a megaquake is generally considered a large seismic event placed at an eight or higher on the Richter scale that ruptures along major faults and can trigger further events like tsunamis.
    — Connor Sturges, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Apr. 2026
  • Definite recommend on PostTrak for Showgirl is off the Richter scale at a massive 82% definite recommend.
    — Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 4 Oct. 2025
  • In the last 24 hours, the area surrounding the lagoon experienced hundreds of earthquakes including one measuring in at 5 on the Richter scale, according to the Iceland Monitor.
    — Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 9 Nov. 2023
  • Why the Phillies, trying to sell him on the fervor of their market, showed him a chart detailing how the reaction of fans to a Kyle Schwarber home run in the 2022 World Series registered on the Richter scale.
    — Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 26 Oct. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'the Richter scale.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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