as in trembling
marked by or given to small uncontrollable bodily movements
suffered a shaking chill during his bout with the flu
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in twitching
a series of slight movements by a body back and forth or from side to side
gave the bottle of salad dressing a good shaking
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in escape
the act or a means of getting or keeping away from something undesirable
condemned the government's shaking of its overseas responsibilities
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in jerking
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
2
as in avoiding
to get or keep away from (as a responsibility) through cleverness or trickery
we shook our pursuers by cutting through the abandoned lot
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of shaking
Ca Earthquake Bot, Sacbee.com, 11 Apr. 2026
A number of people across Northern California reported hearing the alerts generated by the USGS ShakeAlert earthquake early warning system before feeling the shaking.
—Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2026
Residents in the area reported light to moderate shaking, according to the USGS, with residents as far north as Berkeley and San Francisco and as far south as Soledad reporting feeling shaking as well.
—Gabe Hauari, USA Today, 2 Apr. 2026
Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 11 Apr. 2026
Surveillance footage from inside the store showed tension between Dempsey and Thurston, which Dempsey attempted to defuse by shaking Thurston’s hand.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2026
Some could be seen laughing and even shaking hands with the attackers.
—Jason Henry, Daily News, 9 Apr. 2026
In the back corner booth at a diner in Los Feliz, writer Luke Goebel is shaking off last night’s drive down from San Francisco.
—Molly Lambert, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2026
Decompressing in a car can be about more than just shaking off stress.
—ABC News, 8 Apr. 2026
Julia demonstrates how to cook a perfect little omelet without using any tools—just by shaking a pan in a magical way.
—Jeffrey Steingarten, Vogue, 5 Apr. 2026
Even the threat of reducing security for the Strait of Hormuz risks shaking confidence in a pillar of the world economy, as well as American wealth and power.
—Gerry Doyle, Fortune, 5 Apr. 2026
And one of them is the product of the team Sumrall’s currently shaking to life, which already only has a week of spring camp left, with its spring game Saturday.
—Noah White, Miami Herald, 5 Apr. 2026
Noun
Earthquakes' sudden, rapid shaking can cause fires, tsunamis, landslides or avalanches.
—Ca Earthquake Bot, Sacbee.com, 11 Apr. 2026
A number of people across Northern California reported hearing the alerts generated by the USGS ShakeAlert earthquake early warning system before feeling the shaking.
—Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2026
Residents in the area reported light to moderate shaking, according to the USGS, with residents as far north as Berkeley and San Francisco and as far south as Soledad reporting feeling shaking as well.
—Gabe Hauari, USA Today, 2 Apr. 2026
Verb
That hasn’t stopped them from taking two of three meetings with the Ducks in 2025-26, albeit with the first victory coming before Vancouver’s roster-shaking Quinn Hughes trade and the most recent confrontation being a 5-2 tilt in the Ducks’ favor on March 24.
—Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 11 Apr. 2026
Surveillance footage from inside the store showed tension between Dempsey and Thurston, which Dempsey attempted to defuse by shaking Thurston’s hand.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2026
Some could be seen laughing and even shaking hands with the attackers.
—Jason Henry, Daily News, 9 Apr. 2026
In the back corner booth at a diner in Los Feliz, writer Luke Goebel is shaking off last night’s drive down from San Francisco.
—Molly Lambert, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2026
Decompressing in a car can be about more than just shaking off stress.
—ABC News, 8 Apr. 2026
Julia demonstrates how to cook a perfect little omelet without using any tools—just by shaking a pan in a magical way.
—Jeffrey Steingarten, Vogue, 5 Apr. 2026
Even the threat of reducing security for the Strait of Hormuz risks shaking confidence in a pillar of the world economy, as well as American wealth and power.
—Gerry Doyle, Fortune, 5 Apr. 2026
And one of them is the product of the team Sumrall’s currently shaking to life, which already only has a week of spring camp left, with its spring game Saturday.
—Noah White, Miami Herald, 5 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shaking
Noun
-
At first this change of scale vivifies the butterfly—its brief stillness, the angle of its wings, its trembling—while freezing everything else, including the novel’s action.—
Ben Lerner,
The New York Review of Books,
19 Mar. 2026
-
Its strength ranges from mild, causing little more discomfort than a slight trembling, to severe, in which passengers or flight crew can be thrown around the cabin and risk injury if not wearing seatbelts.—
Cat Rainsford,
Popular Science,
15 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
This escape, which borders Canada, spans over 218,000 acres with lakes, boreal forests, and trickling streams.—
Stephanie Vermillion,
Travel + Leisure,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Increase that field too much, and the electrons escape.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Tony Fauci was not just jerking the country around.—
David Blumenthal,
Fortune,
24 Mar. 2026
-
The clip on TikTok shows the seat jerking abruptly, apparently from forceful pushes by the person seated behind her.—
Kelly McGreal,
FOXNews.com,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Whatever his flaws, the president has been politically astute throughout his tenure, carefully avoiding the trap of letting the perfect be the enemy of good.—
Kelly Sloan,
The Orlando Sentinel,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Be wary of phishing by avoiding links in unsolicited emails or texts.—
Larry Magid,
Mercury News,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
During this phase, octopuses display visible twitching along with rapid changes in skin color and texture, per NPR.—
Samantha Agate,
Miami Herald,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Gosnell did not testify at his 2013 trial, but his defense attorney argued that none of the fetuses were born alive and that any movements were posthumous twitching or spasms, according to the AP.—
Greg Norman-Diamond,
FOXNews.com,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Fulton Weaver reached on a 1-out passed ball on a third strike for Country Day (20-1 overall, 5-0 conference) and went to third on a 2-base error on the throw to first.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
8 Apr. 2026
-
The Phillies handed San Francisco six outs in that inning.—
Matt Gelb,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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That all came to a shuddering halt after Khashoggi’s death.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Sat shuddering in my seat as the lights drew down.—
Sally Jenkins,
The Atlantic,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The attack targets Russia’s shadow fleet evading international sanctions imposed over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and its ongoing oil export revenues.—
Samy Magdy,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Apr. 2026
-
The records also show Renfro is facing several other charges from previous cases, including assault causing bodily injury, assault causing bodily injury-family violence, evading arrest or detention, and continuous violence against the family.—
Doug Myers,
CBS News,
5 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shaking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shaking. Accessed 15 Apr. 2026.
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