shake

verb

\ ˈshāk

shook\ ˈshu̇k

\; shaken\ ˈshā-kən

\; shaking

Definition of shake

(Entry 1 of 2)

intransitive verb

1 : to move irregularly to and fro

2 : to vibrate especially as the result of a blow or shock

3 : to tremble as a result of physical or emotional disturbance shook with fear

4 : to experience a state of instability : totter

5 : to briskly move something to and fro or up and down especially in order to mix

6 : to clasp hands

7 : trill entry 2

transitive verb

1 : to brandish, wave, or flourish often in a threatening manner protesters shaking their fists

2 : to cause to move to and fro, up and down, or from side to side especially in a repetitive, rhythmic, or quick jerky manner shook his head in disapproval

3 : to cause to quake, quiver, or tremble

4a : to free oneself from shake a habit shake off a cold

b : to get away from : get rid of can you shake your friend? I want to talk to you alone— Elmer Davis

5 : to lessen the stability of : weaken shake one's faith

6 : to bring to a specified condition by or as if by repeated quick jerky movements shook himself loose from the man's grasp

7 : to dislodge or eject by quick jerky movements of the support or container shook the dust from the cloth

8 : to clasp (hands) in greeting or farewell or as a sign of goodwill or agreement

9 : to stir the feelings of : upset, agitate shook her up

10 : trill entry 2

shake a leg

1 : dance

2 : to hurry up

shake a stick at

: to form a conception of (as by counting or imagining) : conceive —usually used in the phrase more than one can shake a stick at

shake

noun

Definition of shake (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : an act of shaking: such as

a : an act of shaking hands

b : an act of shaking oneself

2a : a blow or shock that upsets the equilibrium or disturbs the balance of something

b : earthquake

3 shakes plural

a : a condition of trembling or nervousness specifically : delirium tremens

b : malaria sense 2a

4 : something produced by shaking: such as

a : a fissure separating annual rings of growth in timber

b(1) : milkshake

(2) : a beverage resembling a milkshake a protein shake

5 : a wavering, quivering, or alternating motion caused by a blow or shock

6 : trill

7 : a very brief period of time I'll be there in two shakes

8 shakes plural : one that is exceptional especially in importance, ability, or merit —usually used in the phrase no great shakes

9 : a shingle split from a piece of log usually three or four feet (about one meter) long

10 : deal entry 3 sense 3 a fair shake

Other Words from shake Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about shake

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Choose the Right Synonym for shake

Verb

shake, agitate, rock, convulse mean to move up and down or to and fro with some violence. shake often carries a further implication of a particular purpose. shake well before using agitate suggests a violent and prolonged tossing or stirring. an ocean agitated by storms rock suggests a swinging or swaying motion resulting from violent impact or upheaval. the whole city was rocked by the explosion convulse suggests a violent pulling or wrenching as of a body in a paroxysm. spectators were convulsed with laughter

Examples of shake in a Sentence

Verb

The ground shook during the earthquake. The house shook as the train rumbled by. The earthquake shook the ground. Shake the salad dressing well before using it. I was so nervous that I was shaking like a leaf. The fugitive couldn't shake the police. It's hard to shake the feeling that I'm forgetting something. The news did nothing to shake my belief that things will be okay. Nothing could shake his faith in God.

Noun

He responded to the question with a shake of his head. Give the dice a shake. He drank too much coffee and got a bad case of the shakes.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

At The Roxbury-style head shake to bust the wall open for your hero to run through. — Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, "Ars Technica’s best games of 2018," 24 Dec. 2018 Meanwhile, pat steaks dry with a paper towel, then rub with paprika and 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper; shake off any excess. — Woman's Day Kitchen, Woman's Day, "Smoked Paprika Steak and Lentils with Spinach," 19 Dec. 2018 Upon shaking Yazu’s hand, the official drops dead from poison placed on Fredericks’ hand. — Andrew Liptak, The Verge, "Red Moon is a novel full of fascinating ideas that never come together," 3 Nov. 2018 Some of you are shaking your heads right now, but stay with me. — Megan Barber, Curbed, "RV toilets: Why I’ll never have a bathroom in my camper," 1 Nov. 2018 But other forces could shake things up even more in the months to come. — Mark Hachman, PCWorld, "Microsoft cracks the top 5 U.S. PC vendors, but Intel CPU shortages could bring more change," 11 Oct. 2018 The Wizarding World of Harry Potter was understandably shook. — Stacey Grant, Seventeen, "These "Harry Potter" Cast Reunions Will Make You Cry Tears Of Joy," 5 Oct. 2018 Beast’) the Queen stepped forward and shook his hand. — Caroline Hallemann, Town & Country, "Royal Photographer Chris Jackson Takes Us Behind the Scenes of Trump's Meeting with Queen Elizabeth," 13 July 2018 Tarver's death shook the department as well as the city. — Nathan J. Fish, azcentral, "Lessons from Phoenix firefighter's 2001 death influenced way crews handled Safeway fire," 12 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The company is constantly dealing with scandals, lawsuits, and executive shake-ups. — Chavie Lieber, Vox, "Uber and Lyft are racing each other to go public. Here’s why.," 12 Dec. 2018 Now compare that with 1,600 empty calories, which roughly equals 1 candy bar, 1 bag of potato chips, 1 fast food cheeseburger, and a small chocolate shake. — Joy Bauer, Woman's Day, "How to Stay Full on Fewer Calories," 16 Aug. 2018 Most of those who died in Long Beach were felled by falling debris from those kinds of structures, which are made out of bricks, hollow concrete blocks, stones or adobe and lack steel bars and other shake-resilient components. — John Wilkens, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Decades-long march continues to rid San Diego of quake-vulnerable buildings," 13 May 2018 The shake-up comes as Alibaba and rival Chinese tech giants Tencent Holdings Ltd. and Baidu Inc. have ramped up spending in online video content. — Shan Li, WSJ, "Alibaba Video-Streaming Chief Steps Down Amid Probe," 4 Dec. 2018 Nielsen’s not the only one possibly on the chopping block Trump has reportedly been considering an administration-wide shake-up in the wake of the midterms. — Rachel Withers, Vox, "Trump refuses to commit to Kirstjen Nielsen continuing as DHS secretary into the future," 18 Nov. 2018 His departure marked a rare shake-up on Facebook’s insular M-team, whose composition had remained largely unchanged for many years. — Casey Newton, The Verge, "How Facebook’s crisis PR firm triggered a PR crisis," 17 Nov. 2018 Had Democrats taken both houses of Congress, we maybe could have expected a regulatory shake-up. — Verge Staff, The Verge, "What the new Congress means for space, self-driving cars, and regulating Facebook," 7 Nov. 2018 Shadowing the special counsel’s team is the looming likelihood that Trump could soon dismiss Attorney General Jeff Sessions — a shake-up that could spell the end of Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein’s oversight of the investigation. — Matt Zapotosky, The Seattle Times, "With the midterms over, special counsel Mueller faces key decisions in Russia investigation," 7 Nov. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'shake.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.