What does "shake" mean?

1. (to move back and forth) to move something quickly from side to side or up and down. 2. (to move your head) to move your head from side to side to say 'no'. 3. (to upset someone) to make someone feel shocked, nervous, or upset. 4. (to get rid of) to escape from someone following you or to stop a bad habit. 5. (the movement) the act of moving something quickly back and forth. 6. (a drink) a cold drink made of milk, ice cream, and often fruit or chocolate. 7. (a very short time) a very short moment or a second. 8. (musical trill) a musical sound where two notes are played very quickly one after the other.

shake — meaning, definition & examples

Word

Infinitive

shake

Past

shook

Past participle

shaken

01to move back and forth

A2 · Elementary

v. to move something quickly from side to side or up and down.

v. to cause an object to move rapidly in opposite directions alternatingly; can be used transitively or intransitively.

“You should shake the bottle of juice before you open it.”

“The earthquake caused the entire building to shake violently, rattling windows and knocking books from the shelves.”

Synonyms

vibrate jiggle shudder

Antonyms

steady still

02to move your head

A2 · Elementary

v. to move your head from side to side to say 'no'.

v. to move the head laterally as a gesture of refusal, disagreement, or disbelief.

“When I asked if he wanted more cake, he just shook his head.”

“She shook her head in silent frustration when the committee rejected her proposal for the third time.”

Antonyms

nod

03to upset someone

B2 · Upper Intermediate

v. to make someone feel shocked, nervous, or upset.

v. to disturb someone emotionally or to undermine their confidence.

“The news of the accident really shook her.”

“The sudden resignation of the CEO shook the investors' confidence, leading to a sharp decline in share prices.”

Synonyms

unsettledisturb rattle

Antonyms

calm soothe

04to get rid of

B2 · Upper Intermediate Informal

v. to escape from someone following you or to stop a bad habit.

v. to evade a pursuer or to rid oneself of a persistent negative condition or habit.

“The spy managed to shake the police car in the narrow streets.”

“Despite several attempts at medical intervention, he found it impossible to shake the persistent cough that had plagued him all winter.”

Synonyms

escape lose elude

05the movement

B1 · Intermediate Countable noun

n. the act of moving something quickly back and forth.

n. an instance of shaking or being shaken; a tremulous or back-and-forth motion.

“Give the rug a good shake to get the dust out.”

“A firm shake of the container is usually enough to redistribute the contents evenly.”

Synonyms

tremor vibration

06a drink

A2 · Elementary Countable noun

n. a cold drink made of milk, ice cream, and often fruit or chocolate.

n. a milkshake or similar thick beverage typically composed of dairy products and flavourings.

“I ordered a chocolate shake and a burger for lunch.”

“The diner was famous for its hand-spun strawberry shakes, which were thick enough to require a spoon.”

Synonyms

milkshake

07a very short time

C1 · Advanced Countable noun Informal

n. a very short moment or a second.

n. an informal unit of time, usually appearing in the phrase 'in two shakes'.

“Wait there, I will be back in two shakes.”

“He promised to finish the repairs in two shakes of a lamb's tail, though the task proved more complex than anticipated.”

Usage

Almost exclusively used in the idiomatic phrase 'in two shakes' or 'in two shakes of a lamb's tail'.

Synonyms

moment jiffy second

08musical trill

C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Music Technical

n. a musical sound where two notes are played very quickly one after the other.

n. a rapid alternation between two adjacent notes; a trill.

“The flute player added a delicate shake to the end of the melody.”

“The soprano executed a perfect shake on the penultimate note, demonstrating remarkable vocal control and agility.”

Synonyms

trill

Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “shake” in context.

Verb

01. building shake

“The whole building shook when the heavy truck passed by.”

noun + verb

Noun

02. shake habit

“It is very difficult to shake a smoking habit after twenty years.”

verb + noun

03. shake hand

“The two leaders agreed to shake hands for the cameras.”

verb + noun

04. shake head

“She shook her head in disagreement when I asked for help.”

verb + noun

05. shake image

“The company is trying to shake its image as a polluter.”

verb + noun

06. shake uncontrollably

“His hands were shaking uncontrollably from the cold.”

verb + adv

07. shake vigorously

“Shake the bottle vigorously before opening it.”

verb + adv

08. shake violently

“The ground began to shake violently during the earthquake.”

verb + adv

09. shake with anger

“He was shaking with anger after the heated argument.”

verb + prep + noun

10. shake like a leaf

“She was shaking like a leaf before her stage performance.”

11. shake off a cold

“I can't seem to shake off this cold no matter what I take.”

12. shake to the core

“The news of the accident shook him to the core.”

From Middle English schaken, from Old English sċeacan, sċacan (“to shake”), from Proto-West Germanic skakan, from Proto-Germanic skakaną (“to shake, swing, escape”), from Proto-Indo-European (s)keg-, (s)kek- (“to jump, move”). Cognate with Scots schake, schack (“to shake”), West Frisian schaekje (“to shake”), Dutch schaken (“to elope, make clean, shake”), Low German schaken (“to move, shift, push, shake”) and schacken (“to shake, shock”), Old Norse skaka (“to shake”), Norwegian Nynorsk skaka (“to shake”), Swedish skaka (“to shake”), Danish skage (“to shake”), Dutch schokken (“to shake, shock”), Russian скака́ть (skakátʹ, “to jump”). More at shock.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

VERB

shake(B1)

NOUN

shaker(B1)

shaking(A2)

ADJECTIVE

shaky(B1)

shook spasm sway