1
as in shuddered
to make a series of small irregular or violent movements
the bus rattled and shook as it barreled down a rutted road
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in escaped
to get or keep away from (as a responsibility) through cleverness or trickery
we shook our pursuers by cutting through the abandoned lot
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shaken
Earlier Saturday in Minneapolis, a federal immigration officer shot and killed a man, drawing hundreds of protesters onto the frigid streets and ratcheting up tensions in a city already shaken by another fatal shooting weeks earlier.
—
Valerie Gonzalez, Twin Cities, 25 Jan. 2026
The academy is put into lockdown, as blame begins spreading like wildfire and bonds between trainees are shaken.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 23 Jan. 2026
Fudd missed a seventh 3-pointer — 11 in a row including her 0-for-4 performance Monday against Notre Dame — to start the second, but the Huskies’ sharpshooter wasn’t shaken and finally knocked down her first shot from deep 90 seconds after Strong connected.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 23 Jan. 2026
Even Dario Amodei – the co-founder and CEO of Anthropic, the company that created the popular chatbot Claude – has been shaken by the increasing power of AI tools.
—Patrick Barry, Fortune, 23 Jan. 2026
School district officials in Columbia Heights, Minnesota, say their sense of security is shaken and their hearts shattered after four students from the district were recently taken by officers with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
—Reg Chapman, CBS News, 22 Jan. 2026
Thousands of people thronged the snowy streets of the Greenlandic capital of Nuuk on Saturday to have their say on a transatlantic crisis that has shaken the 76-year-old NATO alliance.
—David Brennan, ABC News, 21 Jan. 2026
Listening to it feels like being shaken very hard.
—Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 21 Jan. 2026
Employees, shaken by the encounter, wrote down his license plate and contacted the police.
—Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 13 Jan. 2026
Valerie Gonzalez, Twin Cities, 25 Jan. 2026
The academy is put into lockdown, as blame begins spreading like wildfire and bonds between trainees are shaken.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 23 Jan. 2026
Fudd missed a seventh 3-pointer — 11 in a row including her 0-for-4 performance Monday against Notre Dame — to start the second, but the Huskies’ sharpshooter wasn’t shaken and finally knocked down her first shot from deep 90 seconds after Strong connected.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 23 Jan. 2026
Even Dario Amodei – the co-founder and CEO of Anthropic, the company that created the popular chatbot Claude – has been shaken by the increasing power of AI tools.
—Patrick Barry, Fortune, 23 Jan. 2026
School district officials in Columbia Heights, Minnesota, say their sense of security is shaken and their hearts shattered after four students from the district were recently taken by officers with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
—Reg Chapman, CBS News, 22 Jan. 2026
Thousands of people thronged the snowy streets of the Greenlandic capital of Nuuk on Saturday to have their say on a transatlantic crisis that has shaken the 76-year-old NATO alliance.
—David Brennan, ABC News, 21 Jan. 2026
Listening to it feels like being shaken very hard.
—Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 21 Jan. 2026
Employees, shaken by the encounter, wrote down his license plate and contacted the police.
—Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 13 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shaken
Verb
-
East Denver sushi fans shuddered in late December when Okinawa Japanese Cuisine, a mainstay on Colfax Avenue since 2010, closed and boarded up its doors with brown paper.—
Miguel Otárola,
Denver Post,
8 Jan. 2026
-
The Greek writer Kay Cicellis, who died in 2001, might have shuddered at such a sunny view of fate.—
Rachel Vorona Cote,
The Atlantic,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
After racing out to a 4-0 lead in the first two periods, off the strength of three goals in 54 seconds in the first period, the Bruins survived by their fingernails a third-period push from the Vegas Golden Knights and escaped TD Garden with a 4-3 victory.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
23 Jan. 2026
-
Troops on Monday seized a prison in the northeastern town of Shaddadeh, where some IS detainees escaped and many were recaptured, state media reported.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Aisha jerked and opened her eyes.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Jan. 2026
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The two stood nose-to-nose on the field when the Steelers player grabbed onto Chase’s facemask, jerked his head and appeared to punch him.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
16 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Deputies located and attempted to stop the vehicle a short time later, but the driver did not yield and recklessly evaded, and the pursuit was ultimately terminated in the interest of public safety.—
Anne Gelhaus,
Mercury News,
23 Jan. 2026
-
The men, who knew each other from prison, evaded law enforcement for roughly 36 hours, driving north and then heading back down south through Montana before they were arrested in Twin Falls.—
Alex Brizee,
Idaho Statesman,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Cybersecurity is no longer measured only in breaches avoided, but in time-to-recover, productivity preserved, and revenue protected.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
22 Jan. 2026
-
The Avalanche avoided being shutout for the first time this season, but Anaheim Ducks goalie Lukas Dostal prevented them from claiming two points.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The poll, sponsored by the Union-Tribune and 10News, found that only a relatively small portion of residents were swayed by arguments from the mayor and council that revenue from the fees is needed to avoid budget cuts.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Jan. 2026
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Millennials, resolute in their fatigue, are less swayed by surface-level marketing and more attuned to what actually makes work sustainable.—
Jasmine Browley,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shaken.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shaken. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.
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