1
as in jerked
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 avoided
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 shook
And Tagovailoa shook off that early interception with a 9-yard scoring pass to Malik Washington — capping a ferocious seven-minute, 92-yard drive — and then a 38-yard TD strike to Jaylen Waddle.
—
Miami Herald, 9 Nov. 2025
Miller finished with 129 yards on 18 carries, while Jayden Maiava shook off a poor day throwing the ball with 62 yards and a touchdown on 11 attempts.
—Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Nov. 2025
Adrian Lopez, who threw 11 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in the regular season, shook off the pick by tossing a 17-yard scoring pass to Jackson Delight .
—Steve Dulas, Oc Register, 8 Nov. 2025
The boy buried his face in his hands, and the thick nest of hair shook as if in a wind, and the sobs, though muffled, grew louder.
—George Packer, The Atlantic, 6 Nov. 2025
Kinloch offers advice, not concession to Sheffield After giving his speech, Kinloch shook hands, hugged and took photos with his supporters, who generally radiated smiles and continued dancing, despite his loss in the race.
—Dana Afana, Freep.com, 5 Nov. 2025
But what impressed her was how well everyone shook any errors off.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 5 Nov. 2025
The earthquake shook at a depth of just 3 miles, with its epicenter roughly 4 miles northwest of Pinnacles.
—Ca Earthquake Bot, Sacbee.com, 29 Oct. 2025
The next day, another leadership change shook the Fortune 500.
—Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 27 Oct. 2025
Miami Herald, 9 Nov. 2025
Miller finished with 129 yards on 18 carries, while Jayden Maiava shook off a poor day throwing the ball with 62 yards and a touchdown on 11 attempts.
—Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Nov. 2025
Adrian Lopez, who threw 11 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in the regular season, shook off the pick by tossing a 17-yard scoring pass to Jackson Delight .
—Steve Dulas, Oc Register, 8 Nov. 2025
The boy buried his face in his hands, and the thick nest of hair shook as if in a wind, and the sobs, though muffled, grew louder.
—George Packer, The Atlantic, 6 Nov. 2025
Kinloch offers advice, not concession to Sheffield After giving his speech, Kinloch shook hands, hugged and took photos with his supporters, who generally radiated smiles and continued dancing, despite his loss in the race.
—Dana Afana, Freep.com, 5 Nov. 2025
But what impressed her was how well everyone shook any errors off.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 5 Nov. 2025
The earthquake shook at a depth of just 3 miles, with its epicenter roughly 4 miles northwest of Pinnacles.
—Ca Earthquake Bot, Sacbee.com, 29 Oct. 2025
The next day, another leadership change shook the Fortune 500.
—Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 27 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shook
Verb
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Allen, who is 6 foot 5 and 237 pounds, jerked his head back in an effort to draw a roughing penalty on Bolton.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
3 Nov. 2025
-
Travis jerked open the door and slid on his butt down a wing that was on fire.—
Gillian Telling,
PEOPLE,
20 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Previous Japanese leaders have avoided discussing Taiwan in the context of a military response.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
12 Nov. 2025
-
Margolick argues that Caesar avoided topical satire out of fear.—
David Denby,
New Yorker,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Earth shuddered with yet another wave of extinctions in this initial chill.—
Peter Brannen,
Quanta Magazine,
15 Sep. 2025
-
For much of last season, Atletico appeared set to seriously compete on all fronts, but their season shuddered to a stop in March with a series of disappointing defeats by Barcelona and Madrid across La Liga, Copa del Rey and the Champions League.—
Dermot Corrigan,
New York Times,
15 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Bears quarterback Caleb Williams hit tight end Colston Loveland with a pass and the tight end barely evaded two Bengals defenders, who hit each other instead of Loveland.—
Kyle Feldscher,
CNN Money,
3 Nov. 2025
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The Bills shut down Patrick Mahomes and evaded the Chiefs for the fifth straight time in the regular season to improve to a secure 6-2 mark.—
Torrey Hart,
New York Times,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Other businesses, including a nearby convention center, restaurant and Ford assembly plant, escaped the blaze.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
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The mailman paused, checking to see if anyone had noticed or knew the puppy had escaped.—
Liz O'Connell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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As the meeting was ending, Vande Kolk’s cellphone vibrated.—
Jamie Thompson,
The Atlantic,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shook.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shook. Accessed 14 Nov. 2025.
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