Synonyms

shake off

British

verb

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

she shook off her depression
(tr) to escape from; elude

they shook off the police

"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

shake off Idioms

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

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

See Examples For:

shake off

The Vances, however, can’t seem to shake off suspicions that they loathe each other, no matter how many smiles they flash at the camera.

From Salon ● Jul. 29, 2026

We just have to shake off a little rust first.

From Slate ● Jul. 20, 2026

Berkshire Hathaway’s $6.8 billion deal to acquire a major home builder reflects its conviction that the housing market will shake off its yearslong slump and recover as it always has.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 2, 2026

The BofA note came at the right time as the market begins to shake off its AI fears.

From Barron's ● May 19, 2026

He looked away and tried to shake off his sulky mood.

From "Eleven" by Tom Rogers

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