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Synonyms

shook

1 American  
[shook] / ʃʊk /

verb

  1. simple past tense of shake.

  2. Nonstandard. a past participle of shake.

adjective

  1. Slang. Also shook up strongly affected by an event, circumstance, etc.; emotionally unsettled.

    She was so shook she couldn't speak.
shook 2 American  
[shook] / ʃʊk /

noun

  1. a set of staves and headings sufficient for one hogshead, barrel, or the like.

  2. a set of the parts of a box, piece of furniture, or the like, ready to be put together.

  3. a shock of sheaves or the like.

shook 1 British  
/ ʃʊk /

noun

  1. (in timber working) a set of parts ready for assembly, esp of a barrel

  2. a group of sheaves piled together on end; shock

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
shook 2 British  
/ ʃʊk /

verb

  1. the past tense of shake

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adjective

  1. informal keen on; enthusiastic about

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

What else does shook mean? Shook is the past tense form of shake, used as a slang term to describe feelings ranging from discombobulation and fear to rage and elation, kind of like "all shaken up."

Etymology

Origin of shook1

First recorded in 1890–95, for the adjective

Origin of shook2

First recorded in 1760–70; short for shook cask, variant of shaken cask, one dismounted for shipment

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

They spread poster boards across the cream-colored shag rug, shook up their paint pens and started to craft their messages.

From The Wall Street Journal

Lokesh, who finished on 39 not out from 20 balls, dropped to his haunches at the finish as England's players shook his hand to congratulate his efforts.

From BBC

She shook herself like a dog coming in from the rain.

From Literature

In the center of Good’s memorial, a man gingerly brushed snow from cardboard signs, shook out bouquets of flowers and wiped off teddy bears.

From Los Angeles Times

In December, Amazon shook up its artificial-intelligence unit as it seeks to accelerate its development of AI services.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.