shook
- 01 A2 Elementary
v.the past tense of shake — used when something moved quickly up and down or side to side.
v.the simple past tense of the irregular verb 'shake'.
Simple“The ground shook for a few seconds during the small earthquake.”
In context“The witness shook her head in disagreement when the lawyer suggested she had been mistaken about the time of the incident.”
PitfallHe has shook the bottle already. He has shaken the bottle already.While 'shook' is the past tense, the past participle used with 'has' or 'have' is 'shaken'.
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.feeling very surprised, shocked, or upset by something unexpected.
adj.emotionally unsettled, surprised, or shocked. Used predicatively in informal contexts to describe a state of being rattled.
Simple“I was honestly shook when I found out I won the competition.”
In context“The entire fanbase was shook after the show's finale delivered a twist that no one had predicted.”
UsageAlmost always follows a linking verb like 'be' or 'feel'.
- 03 C2 Proficiency
n.a set of wooden pieces ready to be put together to make a box or a barrel.
n.a set of staves or parts for a cask, barrel, or box, packed together for transport before assembly.
Simple“The carpenter ordered a shook of oak to build the new wine barrels.”
In context“The factory exported the furniture as a shook to save on shipping costs, requiring the customer to assemble the pieces upon arrival.”
Synonymskitstaves
“The ground shook, and from his Soho apartment he could see the north tower burning.”
“He said so on the way here.’ They shook their heads.”
Compare shock (“a bundle of sheaves”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.