shake

[ sheyk ]

/ ʃeɪk /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR shake ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object), shook, shak·en, shak·ing.

to move or sway with short, quick, irregular vibratory movements.

to tremble with emotion, cold, etc.

to become dislodged and fall (usually followed by off or down): Sand shakes off easily.

to move something, or its support or container, briskly to and fro or up and down, as in mixing: Shake before using.

to totter; become unsteady.

to clasp another's hand in greeting, agreement, congratulations, etc.: Let's shake and be friends again.

Music. to execute a trill.

verb (used with object), shook, shak·en, shak·ing.

to move (something or its support or container) to and fro or up and down with short, quick, forcible movements: to shake a bottle of milk.

to brandish or flourish: to shake a stick at someone.

to grasp (someone or something) firmly in an attempt to move or rouse by, or as by, vigorous movement to and fro: We shook the tree.

to dislodge or dispense (something) by short, quick, forcible movements of its support or container: We shook nuts from the tree.

to cause to sway, rock, totter, etc.: to shake the very foundations of society.

to agitate or disturb profoundly in feeling: The experience shook him badly.

to cause to doubt or waver; weaken. to shake one's self-esteem.

Music. to trill (a note).

to mix (dice) by rolling in the palm of the hand before they are cast.

to get rid of; elude: They tried to shake their pursuers.

noun

an act or instance of shaking, rocking, swaying, etc.

tremulous motion.

a tremor.

shakes, (used with a singular verb) Informal. a state or spell of trembling, as caused by fear, fever, cold, etc. (usually preceded by the).

a disturbing blow; shock.

Informal. milk shake.

the act or a manner of clasping another's hand in greeting, agreement, etc.: He has a strong shake.

Informal. chance or fate; deal: a fair shake.

a cast of the dice: He threw an eight on his last shake.

something resulting from shaking.

an earthquake.

a fissure in the earth.

an internal crack or fissure in timber.

Music. trill¹(def 9).

an instant: I'll be with you in a shake.

Carpentry. a shingle or clapboard formed by splitting a short log into a number of tapered radial sections with a hatchet.

Horology. (in an escapement) the distance between the nearer corner of one pallet and the nearest tooth of the escape wheel when the other pallet arrests an escape tooth.

Chiefly South Midland U.S. shaker(def 2).

a dance deriving from the twist.

Slang. the dried leaves of the marijuana plant.

Verb Phrases

shake down,

to cause to descend by shaking; bring down.
to cause to settle.
to condition; test: to shake down a ship.
Informal. to extort money from.
Slang. to search (someone), especially to detect concealed weapons.

shake off,

to rid oneself of; reject.
to get away from; leave behind.
Baseball, Softball. (of a pitcher) to indicate rejection of (a sign by the catcher for a certain pitch) by shaking the head or motioning with the glove.

shake up,

to shake in order to mix or loosen.
to upset; jar.
to agitate mentally or physically: The threat of attack has shaken up the entire country.

QUIZZES

CAN YOU FEEL THE WEAL WITH THIS WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ?

Did you collect all of last week’s words, but eftsoons forget what they mean? Don’t worry, we’re here to jog your memory. See how many words from the week of May 18 to 24 you can get right!

Question 1 of 7

weal

well-being, prosperity, or happiness.

the intervening time.

a somewhat prolonged, sharp, shrill cry, as of pain, fear, or surprise.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms for shake

no great shakes, Informal. of no particular ability; unimportant; common: As opera companies go, this one is no great shakes.

shake a leg, Informal.

to hurry up; get a move on: You'd better shake a leg or we'll miss the first act.
to dance.

shake hands. hand(def 79).

shake one's head,

to indicate disapproval, disagreement, negation, or uncertainty by turning one's head from one side to the other and back: I asked him if he knew the answer, but he just shook his head.
to indicate approval, agreement, affirmation or acceptance by nodding one's head up and down.

shake the dust from one's feet. dust(def 26).

two shakes (of a lamb's tail), a very short time; a moment.

Origin of shake

before 900; (v.) Middle English s(c)haken, Old English sceacan; cognate with Low German schacken, Old Norse skaka; (noun) derivative of the v.

SYNONYMS FOR shake

1 oscillate, waver. Shake, quiver, tremble, vibrate refer to an agitated movement that, in living things, is often involuntary. To shake is to agitate more or less quickly, abruptly, and often unevenly so as to disturb the poise, stability, or equilibrium of a person or thing: a pole shaking under his weight. To quiver is to exhibit a slight vibratory motion such as that resulting from disturbed or irregular (surface) tension: The surface of the pool quivered in the breeze. To tremble (used more often of a person) is to be agitated by intermittent, involuntary movements of the muscles, much like shivering and caused by fear, cold, weakness, great emotion, etc.: Even stout hearts tremble with dismay. To vibrate is to exhibit a rapid, rhythmical motion: A violin string vibrates when a bow is drawn across it.

2 shudder, shiver.

14 daunt.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR shake ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM shake

shak·a·ble, shake·a·ble, adjectivere·shake, verb, re·shook, re·shak·en, re·shak·ing.un·shak·a·ble, adjectiveun·shak·a·ble·ly, adverb

un·shake·a·ble, adjectiveun·shake·a·ble·ly, adverbun·sha·ken, adjectivewell-shak·en, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH shake

shake sheik (see synonym study at the current entry)

Words nearby shake

shairp, shaitan, shaiva, shak., shaka, shake, shake a leg, shake a stick at, shake down, shake hands, shake in one's boots

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for no great shakes

shake

/ (ʃeɪk) /

verb shakes, shaking, shook or shaken (ˈʃeɪkən)

to move or cause to move up and down or back and forth with short quick movements; vibrate

to sway or totter or cause to sway or totter

to clasp or grasp (the hand) of (a person) in greeting, agreement, etche shook John by the hand; he shook John's hand; they shook and were friends

shake hands to clasp hands in greeting, agreement, etc

shake on it informal to shake hands in agreement, reconciliation, etc

to bring or come to a specified condition by or as if by shakinghe shook free and ran

(tr) to wave or brandishhe shook his sword

(tr often foll by up) to rouse, stir, or agitate

(tr) to shock, disturb, or upsethe was shaken by the news of her death

(tr) to undermine or weakenthe crisis shook his faith

to mix (dice) by rattling in a cup or the hand before throwing

(tr) Australian archaic, slang to steal

(tr) US and Canadian informal to escape fromcan you shake that detective?

music to perform a trill on (a note)

(tr) US informal to fare or progress; happen as specifiedhow's it shaking?

shake a leg informal to hurry: usually used in the imperative

shake in one's shoes to tremble with fear or apprehension

shake one's head to indicate disagreement or disapproval by moving the head from side to side

shake the dust from one's feet to depart gladly or with the intention not to return

noun

the act or an instance of shaking

a tremor or vibration

the shakes informal a state of uncontrollable trembling or a condition that causes it, such as a fever

informal a very short period of time; jiffyin half a shake

a shingle or clapboard made from a short log by splitting it radially

a fissure or crack in timber or rock

an instance of shaking dice before casting

music another word for trill 1 (def. 1)

a dance, popular in the 1960s, in which the body is shaken convulsively in time to the beat

an informal name for earthquake

short for milk shake

no great shakes informal of no great merit or value; ordinary

See also shake down, shake off, shake up

Derived forms of shake

shakable or shakeable, adjective

Word Origin for shake

Old English sceacan; related to Old Norse skaka to shake, Old High German untscachōn to be driven

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

Idioms and Phrases with no great shakes (1 of 2)

no great shakes

Nothing out of the ordinary, mediocre, as in I'm afraid the new pitcher is no great shakes, or What I did with this decorating project was no great shakes. This term possibly alludes to the shaking of dice, which most often yields a mediocre result, but there is no evidence to support this theory. [Early 1800s]

Idioms and Phrases with no great shakes (2 of 2)

shake

In addition to the idioms beginning with shake

shake a leg
shake a stick at
shake down
shake hands
shake in one's boots
shake off
shake one's head
shake someone's tree
shake the dust from one's feet
shake up
shake with laughter

also see:

all shook (shaken) up
fair shake
in two shakes
more than one can shake a stick at
movers and shakers
no great shakes
quake (shake) in one's boots

MEANINGS

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WORD OF THE DAY

shake

verb (used without object), shook, shak·en, shak·ing.

verb (used with object), shook, shak·en, shak·ing.

noun

Verb Phrases

QUIZZES

CAN YOU FEEL THE WEAL WITH THIS WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ?

Idioms for shake

Origin of shake

SYNONYMS FOR shake

OTHER WORDS FROM shake

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH shake

Words nearby shake

British Dictionary definitions for no great shakes

verb shakes, shaking, shook or shaken (ˈʃeɪkən)

noun

Derived forms of shake

Word Origin for shake

Idioms and Phrases with no great shakes (1 of 2)

Idioms and Phrases with no great shakes (2 of 2)

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

shake

verb (used without object), shook, shak·en, shak·ing.

verb (used with object), shook, shak·en, shak·ing.

noun

Verb Phrases

QUIZZES

CAN YOU FEEL THE WEAL WITH THIS WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ?

Idioms for shake

Origin of shake

SYNONYMS FOR shake

OTHER WORDS FROM shake

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH shake

Words nearby shake

Words related to no great shakes

British Dictionary definitions for no great shakes

verb shakes, shaking, shook or shaken (ˈʃeɪkən)

noun

Derived forms of shake

Word Origin for shake

Idioms and Phrases with no great shakes (1 of 2)

Idioms and Phrases with no great shakes (2 of 2)