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.

The first time “Buffy” ended, Gellar attempted to shake off the slayer with a slew of fascinating, genuinely provocative roles that utilized her skillset.

From Salon • Mar. 26, 2026

Buffett has sometimes taken action to shake off piggybackers.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026

Salesforce’s fourth-quarter results for fiscal 2026 were solid, but they weren’t enough to shake off the looming overhang of artificial intelligence on the stock.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 25, 2026

Dunstan said the venue has managed to do more than just shake off its troubled opening, and was getting plaudits from those who perform there.

From BBC • Feb. 20, 2026

Some moved gracefully, others resembled frozen mountaineers trying to shake off the cold, but all danced with enthusiasm and emotion.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

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