Shakers

British  

/ ˈʃeɪkəz /

plural noun

1. an American millenarian sect, founded in 1747 as an offshoot of the Quakers, given to ecstatic shaking, advocating celibacy for its members, and practising common ownership of property

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Shakers Cultural  

1. A religious group that rose in America in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Shakers derived their name from a dance that was part of their religious ceremony. They lived in small, tightly knit communities and observed celibacy.

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Shaker furniture is renowned for its simplicity, strength, and beauty.

Example Sentences

A meetinghouse stood at the center of every village created by the Shakers, the separatist and celibate Christian religious sect founded in the 18th century that was devoted to communal living and simple, functional design.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

Then it would probably be breakfast at Shakers, which is in South Pasadena.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 27, 2026

At its peak, there were over 6,000 Shakers, joining Ann in rebuking the gruesome, incalculable evils of war and preaching moral generosity.

From Salon • Dec. 27, 2025

They also exhibit a rare respect for women, believing that “God must be both male and female,” and are a precursor to the group Ann herself will come to lead, known simply as the Shakers.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 24, 2025

Even the teens of Shaker Heights—whose main exposure to Shakers was singing “Simple Gifts” in music class—could feel that drive for perfection still in the air.

From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng