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
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of shaking
Ca Earthquake Bot, Sacbee.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Daniel now lives with essential tremors, a condition that causes involuntary shaking of the head and hands.
—Bill Schiffmiller, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Earthquakes’ sudden, rapid shaking can cause fires, tsunamis, landslides or avalanches.
—Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 12 Aug. 2025
Weak shaking was felt throughout parts of northern New Jersey, including Newark, Paterson and Englewood, and across the New York City area, according to impact reports compiled by USGS.
—Melina Khan, USA Today, 6 Aug. 2025
Schmerr and his colleague Thomas Watters, a senior scientist emeritus at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum, traced these boulders back to elevated slopes, finding that their trails aligned more with seismic shaking than impact debris patterns.
—Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 4 Aug. 2025
Ca Earthquake Bot, Sacbee.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Homes of political party members and state buildings were ransacked or set ablaze, shaking investor confidence in the Southeast Asian economy and triggering a steep selloff on its stocks and currency markets on Friday.
—CNN Money, 1 Sep. 2025
The toddler adorably followed suit, holding and shaking her little fist.
—Hannah Sacks, People.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Russian President Vladimir Putin is touring China ahead of the nation’s military parade, shaking hands with world leaders and seeking to strengthen his position on the international stage.
—Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 1 Sep. 2025
On the next changeover, as Gauff sat in her chair, her hands were visibly shaking.
—Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2025
Meanwhile, Uranus' retrograde in Gemini is shaking things up in your career zone.
—Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 31 Aug. 2025
Austin Butler has played a Manson family killer, a COVID-era cult leader and the hip-shaking King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2025
Campbell admitted under questioning to shaking the child on several occasions, court documents state.
—Arkansas Online, 25 Aug. 2025
Noun
Earthquakes' sudden, rapid shaking can cause fires, tsunamis, landslides or avalanches.
—Ca Earthquake Bot, Sacbee.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Daniel now lives with essential tremors, a condition that causes involuntary shaking of the head and hands.
—Bill Schiffmiller, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Earthquakes’ sudden, rapid shaking can cause fires, tsunamis, landslides or avalanches.
—Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 12 Aug. 2025
Weak shaking was felt throughout parts of northern New Jersey, including Newark, Paterson and Englewood, and across the New York City area, according to impact reports compiled by USGS.
—Melina Khan, USA Today, 6 Aug. 2025
Schmerr and his colleague Thomas Watters, a senior scientist emeritus at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum, traced these boulders back to elevated slopes, finding that their trails aligned more with seismic shaking than impact debris patterns.
—Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 4 Aug. 2025
Verb
Weak to light shaking was detected, and people in multiple cities - such as Huntington Beach, Winchester, Menifee and Sun City - reported feeling the tremor, according to the USGS DYFI report.
—Ca Earthquake Bot, Sacbee.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Homes of political party members and state buildings were ransacked or set ablaze, shaking investor confidence in the Southeast Asian economy and triggering a steep selloff on its stocks and currency markets on Friday.
—CNN Money, 1 Sep. 2025
The toddler adorably followed suit, holding and shaking her little fist.
—Hannah Sacks, People.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Russian President Vladimir Putin is touring China ahead of the nation’s military parade, shaking hands with world leaders and seeking to strengthen his position on the international stage.
—Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 1 Sep. 2025
On the next changeover, as Gauff sat in her chair, her hands were visibly shaking.
—Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2025
Meanwhile, Uranus' retrograde in Gemini is shaking things up in your career zone.
—Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 31 Aug. 2025
Austin Butler has played a Manson family killer, a COVID-era cult leader and the hip-shaking King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2025
Campbell admitted under questioning to shaking the child on several occasions, court documents state.
—Arkansas Online, 25 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shaking
Noun
-
Still, the cluster exhibited a subtle trembling motion while it was held in place.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
That blockbuster, which Alcaraz won after a Houdini escape, has been followed by two solid sequels.—
Tim Ellis,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Consider booking a room at Hotel Atwater or the cliffside Zane Grey Pueblo Hotel for a truly memorable escape.—
Stacey Leasca,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The story follows a Jewish family across five generations, from childhood to adulthood, blending laughs and tear-jerking moments, just like in Bob-Waksberg’s other shows.—
Braedon Montgomery,
Forbes.com,
1 Sep. 2025
-
Tear-jerking purple prose designed to make a Baby Boomer nostalgic and sad.—
Bill Goodykoontz,
AZCentral.com,
20 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Holding the youths accountable and avoiding jail is not the program's only goal.—
Everett Eaton,
jsonline.com,
3 Sep. 2025
-
But avoiding these motions is another way for the wrist to weaken.—
Novant Health,
Charlotte Observer,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Grisham’s novel tells the story of Rudy Baylor, a fresh-out-of-law-school upstart who stumbles onto the case of a lifetime.—
Graham Hillard,
The Washington Examiner,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Castellanos, at the time of his benching on June 17, had minus-10 Defensive Runs Saved and minus-seven outs above average.—
Charlotte Varnes,
New York Times,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The White House will be well aware of this fact, particularly in an environment where fiscally conservative Republicans will be shuddering at Uncle Sam’s $37 trillion (and growing) national debt.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
20 Aug. 2025
-
The shuddering horror of the Coldplay couple.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
13 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Ogles has attacked O’Connell repeatedly this year, claiming city government has assisted violent criminals in evading arrest by federal immigration enforcement.—
Vivian Jones,
Nashville Tennessean,
4 Sep. 2025
-
After six months of barely evading capture, an escape plan was hatched that saw the soldier cross into Spain and eventual freedom.—
Borys Kit,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
That week’s host, Emily Blunt, did the trembly voice-over.—
Michael Schulman,
The New Yorker,
21 Dec. 2020
Cite this Entry
“Shaking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shaking. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share