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

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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.

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Example Sentences

Boulter has been struggling to shake off an illness in recent days and, moving forward, she said her "number one priority" is returning to full fitness for the upcoming grass-court tournaments.

From BBC • May 28, 2026

But it struggled to shake off a sense of fragility.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 20, 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

It doesn’t look like markets are ready to shake off Friday’s jitters.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 18, 2026

By the time Meggie had finally managed to shake off their little hands, Mo had long since gone.

From "Inkheart" by Cornelia Funke