Meaning & use
shake
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Meanings
verbtransitive or intransitive
To move something quickly up and down or from side to side with short, forceful movements.
Grammar: Takes an object (shake the bottle) or has none (the walls shook).
Patterns
- shake something
- shake something off
- shake something up
Shake the bottle well before you pour the dressing.
The whole house shook when the truck drove past.
He shook the rain off his umbrella.
verbintransitive
To tremble because of fear, cold, anger or another strong feeling.
Grammar: No object; often followed by 'with': shake with fear.
Patterns
- shake with something
- shake from something
Her hands shook with nerves before the speech.
The little dog shook from the cold.
His voice shook as he began to speak.
verbtransitive
To upset or shock someone deeply, or to weaken someone's confidence or belief.
Grammar: Takes an object: the news shook her. Often passive: be shaken.
Patterns
- shake someone's confidence
- be shaken by something
The accident badly shook the driver.
Nothing could shake her belief in his innocence.
The scandal shook the public's trust in the bank.
verbtransitiveinformal
To get rid of something unwanted, such as a habit, an illness or someone following you.
Grammar: Takes an object, usually with 'off': shake off a cold.
Patterns
- shake something off
- shake someone off
I can't seem to shake this cough.
The detective could not shake the car that followed him.
He finally shook the habit of biting his nails.
nouncountable
A quick movement of something back and forth, or the act of moving it this way.
Grammar: Usually singular with a: give it a shake.
Patterns
- give something a shake
- a shake of the head
Give the can a good shake before you open it.
He answered with a shake of the head.
The earthquake gave the building a violent shake.
nouncountableinformalAmerican
A thick cold drink made from milk, ice cream and flavoring; short for milkshake.
Grammar: Counted like any drink: a chocolate shake, two shakes.
Patterns
- a chocolate shake
- a shake and fries
I ordered a strawberry shake with my burger.
The diner is famous for its thick vanilla shakes.
She made a banana shake for breakfast.
Word forms
| third person singular | shakes |
|---|---|
| past tense | shook |
| past participle | shaken |
| -ing form | shaking |
| plural (noun) | shakes |
Common combinations
- shake hands
- The two leaders shook hands in front of the cameras.
- shake your head
- She shook her head to say no.
- shake with fear
- He was shaking with fear as the storm hit.
- shake well
- Shake well before use.
- shake off a cold
- I can't shake off this cold.
- shake something up
- The new manager wants to shake things up.
Synonyms and how they differ
- tremble
- Tremble is only for small, uncontrolled movements caused by emotion or cold, while shake is broader.
- shiver
- Shiver is a quick body movement caused by cold or fear, whereas shake can describe any object or person.
- rattle
- Rattle implies a noisy shaking of loose parts, which shake does not.
- jolt
- Jolt is a sudden hard jerk, while shake is a repeated movement.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: shake or shock?
shake vs shock
Shock is a sudden strong surprise or upset, while shake is a physical movement or a milder emotional effect.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'shake' to mean 'get rid of'?
Choose one answer.
Shake a cough means to finally get rid of it. The other sentences use shake for moving back and forth or greeting.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “shake”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.