shake Hear it!

Jump To: synonymsSynonyms · examplesUsage Examples · quotesQuotes · linkLink/Cite
Also found in: idiomsAH Idiom Dictionary
shake definition

shake (s̸hāk)

transitive verb shook, shaken shak′en, shaking shak′·ing

  1. to cause to move up and down, back and forth, or from side to side with short, quick movements
  2. to bring, force, mix, stir up, dislodge, rearrange, etc. by or as by abrupt, brisk movements to shake a medicine before taking it
    1. to scatter by short, quick movements of the container to shake pepper on a steak
    2. to clean, empty, or straighten by short, quick movements: often with out to shake a rug
  4. to cause to quiver or tremble chills that shook his body
    1. to cause to totter or become unsteady
    2. to unnerve; disturb; upset shaken by the news
  6. to brandish; flourish; wave
  7. to clasp (another's hand), as in greeting
  8. ☆ Informal to get away from or rid of to shake one's pursuers
  9. Music trill

Etymology: ME schaken < OE sceacan, akin to LowG schaken < IE *skeg-, var. of base *skek- > shag

intransitive verb

  1. to move or be moved quickly and irregularly up and down, back and forth, or from side to side; vibrate
  2. to tremble, quake, or quiver, as from cold or fear
  3. to become unsteady; totter; reel
  4. to clasp each other's hand, as in greeting
  5. Music trill

noun

  1. an act of shaking; back-and-forth movement
  2. an unsteady or trembling movement; tremor
  3. a natural split or fissure in rock or timber
  4. a long shingle split from a log
  5. Informal an earthquake
  6. ☆ milkshake
  7. Informal a convulsive trembling, as from disease, fear, alcoholism, etc.: usually with the
  8. Informal a very short time; moment be back in a shake
  9. Informal a particular kind of treatment; deal to get a fair shake
  10. Music trill

Related Forms:

shake Idioms

give someone the shake

or give something the shake☆
Slang to avoid or get rid of an undesirable person (or thing)

no great shakes

Informal not of outstanding ability, importance, etc.; ordinary

shake down

  1. to bring down or cause to fall by shaking
  2. to cause to settle by shaking
  3. to test or condition (new equipment, etc.)
  4. ☆ Slang to extort money from, as by blackmail

shake hands

to clasp each other's hand as a token of agreement or friendship, or in parting or greeting

shake off

  1. to get away from or rid of (an undesirable person or thing)
  2. to reject (a suggestion, request, etc.)

shake up

  1. to shake, esp. so as to mix, blend, or loosen
  2. to disturb or rouse by or as by shaking
  3. to jar or shock
  4. to redistribute or reorganize by or as by shaking

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

idioms shake idiom

shake Synonyms

shake

n.

tremble, shiver, pulsation; see movement 1, 2.

no great shakes*

failure, mediocrity, ordinary; see failure 1, 2.


shake

v.

  1. To vibrate

    tremble, quiver, quake, shiver, shudder, palpitate, waver, fluctuate, reel, flap, flutter, totter, thrill, wobble, stagger, waggle; see also wave 1, 3.

  2. To cause to vibrate

    agitate, rock, sway, swing, joggle, jolt, jounce, bounce, brandish, jar, move, flourish, set in motion, convulse.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

shake Usage Examples

Object

  • hand: Tell them they are to shake hands with at least six people.

Converse of object

  • minimize: The NV7 has built-in OPS, an optical anti-shake technology, to minimize camera shake and to deliver clearer resolution.

Noun used with modifier

  • camera: This camera also has optical image stabilization to help combat blur caused by camera shake.

Followed by an intransitive particle

  • off: Fast or slow, the stranger was not to be shaken off.

Preposition: by

  • ordeal: The two employees were left shaken by the ordeal.
shake usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

shake quotes

With ravished ears The monarch hears, Assumes the god, Affects to nod, And seems to shake the spheres.

-Dryden,John

Now lap-dogs give themselves the rousing shake, And sleepless lovers, just at twelve, awake.

-Pope, Alexander

War is a condition of progress; the whip-cut that prevents a country from going to sleep and forces satisfied mediocrity to shake off its apathy.

-Renan, (Joseph) Ernest

shake quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Link to this page:

Cite this page:

MLA Style

"shake." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/shake>

APA Style

shake. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/shake

Comments:

Please or Register to post a comment