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

The songs on Black British Music are vivid and evocative, finding light in the darkness but never quite shaking off an undercurrent of sadness.

From BBC

Before kick-off, starting goalkeeper Robert Sanchez withdrew after failing to shake off a muscle injury sustained in the warm-up before the midweek draw with Bournemouth, while defender Wesley Fofana missed out through illness.

From BBC

I stood up to shake off the pain and tweaked my right Achilles tendon, so I headed for the medicine cabinet, bent over like an ape because of a stiff back.

From Los Angeles Times

This is partly to try and shake off a feeling he is being idle when not on the road.

From BBC

For now, though, investors should prepare to shake off the cobwebs over tech stocks, according to Newton.

From MarketWatch