the shakes
noun
informal
: a condition in which parts of the body move uncontrollably
He drank too much coffee and got a bad case of the shakes.
The whole experience gave me the shakes.
Examples of the shakes in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Resist The Urge To Stir Caramelizing dry sugar gives many bakers the shakes.
—
Josh Miller, Southern Living, 23 Aug. 2025
That's when the shakes must have come in.
—EW.com, 14 Aug. 2025
The illnesses and deaths, which overwhelmingly (90%) occurred in people in care facilities or those who had been hospitalized before they became infected, were confirmed through whole genome sequencing as being caused by the outbreak strain associated with the shakes.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 12 Aug. 2025
Moses said the prosecution presented no evidence that James Craig was the person who dosed the shakes.
—Tim Stelloh, NBC news, 30 July 2025
Their feedback: The taste was great, the flavors mixed well, and the shakes were smooth and not too filling.
—Caroline Tien, SELF, 10 June 2025
Debilitating withdrawal symptoms followed: hot flashes, cold sweats, restless legs, the shakes and teeth grinding.
—Christina Caron, New York Times, 14 May 2025
Prairie Farms and distributor Lyons Magnus have recalled the shakes.
—Katherine Dillinger and Neha Mukherjee, CNN, 24 Feb. 2025
Records from the facilities involved showed that the shakes were available to residents and patients, the FDA said.
—Patrick Smith, NBC News, 24 Feb. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Josh Miller, Southern Living, 23 Aug. 2025
That's when the shakes must have come in.
—EW.com, 14 Aug. 2025
The illnesses and deaths, which overwhelmingly (90%) occurred in people in care facilities or those who had been hospitalized before they became infected, were confirmed through whole genome sequencing as being caused by the outbreak strain associated with the shakes.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 12 Aug. 2025
Moses said the prosecution presented no evidence that James Craig was the person who dosed the shakes.
—Tim Stelloh, NBC news, 30 July 2025
Their feedback: The taste was great, the flavors mixed well, and the shakes were smooth and not too filling.
—Caroline Tien, SELF, 10 June 2025
Debilitating withdrawal symptoms followed: hot flashes, cold sweats, restless legs, the shakes and teeth grinding.
—Christina Caron, New York Times, 14 May 2025
Prairie Farms and distributor Lyons Magnus have recalled the shakes.
—Katherine Dillinger and Neha Mukherjee, CNN, 24 Feb. 2025
Records from the facilities involved showed that the shakes were available to residents and patients, the FDA said.
—Patrick Smith, NBC News, 24 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“The shakes.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20shakes. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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