shake
Americanverb (used without object)
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to move or sway with short, quick, irregular vibratory movements.
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to tremble with emotion, cold, etc.
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to become dislodged and fall (usually followed by off ordown ).
Sand shakes off easily.
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to move something, or its support or container, briskly to and fro or up and down, as in mixing.
Shake before using.
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to totter; become unsteady.
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to clasp another's hand in greeting, agreement, congratulations, etc..
Let's shake and be friends again.
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Music. to execute a trill.
verb (used with object)
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to move (something or its support or container) to and fro or up and down with short, quick, forcible movements.
to shake a bottle of milk.
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to brandish or flourish.
to shake a stick at someone.
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to grasp (someone or something) firmly in an attempt to move or rouse by, or as by, vigorous movement to and fro.
We shook the tree.
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to dislodge or dispense (something) by short, quick, forcible movements of its support or container.
We shook nuts from the tree.
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to cause to sway, rock, totter, etc..
to shake the very foundations of society.
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to agitate or disturb profoundly in feeling.
The experience shook him badly.
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to cause to doubt or waver; weaken.
to shake one's self-esteem.
- Synonyms:
- daunt
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Music. to trill (a note).
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to mix (dice) by rolling in the palm of the hand before they are cast.
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to get rid of; elude.
They tried to shake their pursuers.
noun
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an act or instance of shaking, rocking, swaying, etc.
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tremulous motion.
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a tremor.
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Informal. (the) shakes. a state or spell of trembling, as caused by fear, fever, cold, etc..
I was up all night with a fever and the shakes.
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a disturbing blow; shock.
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Informal. milkshake.
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the act or a manner of clasping another's hand in greeting, agreement, etc..
He has a strong shake.
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Informal. chance or treatment; deal.
a fair shake;
a bum shake.
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a cast of the dice.
He threw an eight on his last shake.
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something resulting from shaking.
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an earthquake.
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a fissure in the earth.
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an internal crack or fissure in timber.
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Music. trill.
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an instant.
I'll be with you in a shake.
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Carpentry. a shingle or clapboard formed by splitting a short log into a number of tapered radial sections with a hatchet.
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Horology. (in an escapement) the distance between the nearer corner of one pallet and the nearest tooth of the escape wheel when the other pallet arrests an escape tooth.
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Chiefly South Midland U.S. shaker.
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a dance deriving from the twist.
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Slang. the dried leaves of the marijuana plant.
verb phrase
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shake down
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to cause to descend by shaking; bring down.
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to cause to settle.
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to condition; test.
to shake down a ship.
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Informal. to extort money from.
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Slang. to search (someone), especially to detect concealed weapons.
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shake up
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to shake in order to mix or loosen.
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to upset; jar.
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to agitate mentally or physically.
The threat of attack has shaken up the entire country.
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shake off
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to rid oneself of; reject.
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to get away from; leave behind.
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Baseball, Softball. (of a pitcher) to indicate rejection of (a sign by the catcher for a certain pitch) by shaking the head or motioning with the glove.
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idioms
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shake hands. hand.
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shake the dust from one's feet. dust.
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two shakes (of a lamb's tail), a very short time; a moment.
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shake one's head,
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to indicate disapproval, disagreement, negation, or uncertainty by turning one's head from one side to the other and back.
I asked him if he knew the answer, but he just shook his head.
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to indicate approval, agreement, affirmation or acceptance by nodding one's head up and down.
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no great shakes, of no particular ability; unimportant; common.
As opera companies go, this one is no great shakes.
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shake a leg,
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to hurry up; get a move on.
You'd better shake a leg or we'll miss the first act.
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to dance.
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verb
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to move or cause to move up and down or back and forth with short quick movements; vibrate
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to sway or totter or cause to sway or totter
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to clasp or grasp (the hand) of (a person) in greeting, agreement, etc
he shook John by the hand
he shook John's hand
they shook and were friends
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to clasp hands in greeting, agreement, etc
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informal to shake hands in agreement, reconciliation, etc
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to bring or come to a specified condition by or as if by shaking
he shook free and ran
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(tr) to wave or brandish
he shook his sword
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to rouse, stir, or agitate
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(tr) to shock, disturb, or upset
he was shaken by the news of her death
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(tr) to undermine or weaken
the crisis shook his faith
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to mix (dice) by rattling in a cup or the hand before throwing
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archaic (tr) to steal
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informal (tr) to escape from
can you shake that detective?
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music to perform a trill on (a note)
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informal (tr) to fare or progress; happen as specified
how's it shaking?
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informal to hurry: usually used in the imperative
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to tremble with fear or apprehension
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to indicate disagreement or disapproval by moving the head from side to side
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to depart gladly or with the intention not to return
noun
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the act or an instance of shaking
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a tremor or vibration
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informal a state of uncontrollable trembling or a condition that causes it, such as a fever
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informal a very short period of time; jiffy
in half a shake
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a shingle or clapboard made from a short log by splitting it radially
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a fissure or crack in timber or rock
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an instance of shaking dice before casting
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music another word for trill 1
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a dance, popular in the 1960s, in which the body is shaken convulsively in time to the beat
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an informal name for earthquake
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short for milk shake
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informal of no great merit or value; ordinary
Synonym Usage
Shake, quiver, tremble, vibrate refer to an agitated movement that, in living things, is often involuntary. To shake is to agitate more or less quickly, abruptly, and often unevenly so as to disturb the poise, stability, or equilibrium of a person or thing: a pole shaking under his weight. To quiver is to exhibit a slight vibratory motion such as that resulting from disturbed or irregular (surface) tension: The surface of the pool quivered in the breeze. To tremble (used more often of a person) is to be agitated by intermittent, involuntary movements of the muscles, much like shivering and caused by fear, cold, weakness, great emotion, etc.: Even stout hearts tremble with dismay. To vibrate is to exhibit a rapid, rhythmical motion: A violin string vibrates when a bow is drawn across it.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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reshakeverb
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shakableadjective
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shakeableadjective
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unshakableadjective
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unshakeableadjective
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unshakenadjective
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well-shakenadjective
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unshakablelyadverb
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unshakeablelyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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shakesimple
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shakessimple
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have shakenperfect
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has shakenperfect
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am shakingprogressive
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are shakingprogressive
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is shakingprogressive
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have been shakingperfect progressive
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has been shakingperfect progressive
Past
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shooksimple
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had shakenperfect
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was shakingprogressive
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were shakingprogressive
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had been shakingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of shake
First recorded before before 900; Middle English (verb) s(c)haken, Old English sceacan; cognate with Low German schacken, Old Norse skaka; the noun is derived from the verb
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
We just have to shake off a little rust first.
From Slate ● Jul. 20, 2026
On Orcel’s side were pan-European regulators—and, crucially, hedge funds and other investors willing to back his vision to shake up Germany’s sclerotic banking scene.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
Instead, a subdued Messi walked to the midfield to shake hands with his opponents, a sign of exhaustion, no doubt, but also of respect.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
Karina Blanco was just about to start the spinning class she teaches when the earth began to shake.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
It was a long time before he was free to come away with us, so many people wanted to embrace him, to shake his hand and thump his back.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
The TV variation of Max Cady is where the classic prestige drama Difficult Man shakes hands with a manosphere cultist’s pent-up aggression.
From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2026
Rescuers were able to insert tubes to provide water, hydration fluids, protein shakes and medicine to Gil.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 5, 2026
Protein shakes may soon become easier to enjoy thanks to new research showing that changes in whey protein production can improve both taste and texture.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 15, 2026
Haiti were no great shakes but they were getting on top.
From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2026
He shakes his head and bites his bottom lip, rereading his notes on the drafting paper for the dozenth time, not realizing I’m still looking at him.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
In Guatemala and El Salvador, the tremor shook buildings, triggering evacuations and causing some people to run from their homes, Reuters news agency reported.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
Last October, a roaring blast and fire at Chevron’s El Segundo plant stayed within the refinery footprint but the noise shook the neighborhood and turned the sky sunset-orange, then smoky.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
British Museum director Nicholas Cullinan and French ambassador to the UK Helene Duchene posed for photos, as those travelling in the convoy shook hands with museum staff wearing hi-vis vests.
From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026
During a recent storm, my house shook violently from the wind.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 10, 2026
He huffed a short breath and shook his head.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
Speaking at a joint press conference with Merz near Cologne after meetings between the French and German governments, Macron said that "right now we are being shaken" by China's trade practices.
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
The experience has left her shaken, constantly "on edge" and "looking over my shoulder" but her footballing drive is as strong as ever.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
But it appears Swift has not completely shaken off Marasco’s copyright lawsuit.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
Recent barrages have left even hardened residents shaken and sent them fleeing to shelters.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
People defaulted on loans, leaving banks shaken, and unemployment rising.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
Many buildings were built on loose, soft sediment that amplifies shaking during tremors, Linayo said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
Weak shaking was felt as far away as Palmdale, Santa Clarita, Barstow, Victorville and Bakersfield.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
Some Venezuelan volunteer rescue workers said police and military officers tried shaking them down for bribes to pass checkpoints.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
Salah swapped shirts with his former Liverpool team-mate Alexis MacAllister before walking off the pitch with his head bowed, while other players stood shaking their heads.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
By the time I handed the little boy over, I was shaking so much my teeth rattled.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.