shake off

British  

verb

1. to remove or be removed with or as if with a quick movement

   she shook off her depression

2. (tr) to escape from; elude

   they shook off the police

---

shake off Idioms  

1. Free oneself or get rid of something or someone, as in I've had a hard time shaking off this cold, or She forged ahead, shaking off all the other runners. It is also put as give someone the shake, as in We managed to give our pursuers the shake. The first term dates from the late 1300s; the slangy variant dates from the second half of the 1800s.

---

Example Sentences

Shake off the excess flour and place the okra onto a wire baking rack.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 18, 2022

Shake off your travels with a walk along the garden’s meandering pathways, alive with the sound of bird calls and chirping insects.

From New York Times • Aug. 15, 2019

Shake off the excess cornstarch and set aside.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 29, 2016

Shake off winter early with the brightness of flowering trees and shrubs; just clip budded branches and force them into bloom.

From Southern Living • Feb. 16, 2012

Said he: “Sit down and help yourselves. Shake off your wonder. Here we’ve been waiting for you all this time, and our mouths watering for good roast pig!”

From "The Odyssey" by Homer