shaking

American  

[shey-king] / ˈʃeɪ kɪŋ /

noun

1. the act of a person or thing that shakes.

2. ague, with or without chill and fever.

3. Nautical. shakings, waste rope, canvas, etc.

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adjective

1. moving or swaying with short, quick, irregular vibratory movements; quivering.

Other Word Forms

• shakingly
  adverb
• unshaking
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of shaking

Middle English word dating back to 1175–1225; see origin at shake, -ing ¹

Example Sentences

The sect is known as the Shaking Quakers, for their combination of a Quakerish faith in the individual spiritual experience and a worship style characterized by a feral sort of dancing.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 24, 2025

Shaking can break open new rock surfaces, force out fluids that were previously sealed away, and redirect the flow of water through the subsurface.

From Science Daily • Nov. 25, 2025

Shaking off the revelations, Nawrocki posted a video on social media set to an old Chumbawamba song, with the chorus, "I get knocked down, but I get up again".

From BBC • May 29, 2025

Shaking was “weak” in Sacramento, which is some 140 miles to the southwest of the epicenter.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 9, 2024

Shaking his head, trying to reassemble himself, squinting, he saw Archie in the crowd, a grinning, exultant Archie.

From "The Chocolate War" by Robert Cormier