- present participle of shake.
shaking
Americannoun
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shakings
plural
-
the act of a person or thing that shakes.
-
ague, with or without chill and fever.
-
Nautical. shakings, waste rope, canvas, etc.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of shaking
Middle English word dating back to 1175–1225; see origin at shake, -ing 1
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:
Arellano: The camera ends with Hilton and Becerra standing awkwardly and not shaking hands.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
Higher prices and lower volumes appear here to stay, shaking up the device industry.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
Russian President Vladimir Putin presented Kremlev with the "Order of Friendship" award in April 2026, according to an IBA press release, which featured a photo of Putin and Kremlev shaking hands.
From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026
"I couldn't stay in my seat anymore. The windows partially shattered, the stones from the track came into the carriage. It was really shocking. I'm still shaking," he added.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
Clicking his tongue and shaking his head, he said, “That is a nasty cut but the tendon hasn’t been hurt at all. I hate to see anything crippled like that. It’s pitiful.”
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
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Nothing fell to the floor or broke, but it reminded him of the January shakings and made him worry that a big quake like that occurred even five months later.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 2, 2024
The first shakings came in 1972, when the players went on strike over their pension fund; the season lost 86 games out of a total of more than 160.
From The Guardian ● Nov. 29, 2012
In the 1960s, scientists set up seismometers across the world, allowing them to measure and record the slightest shakings almost anywhere.
From New York Times ● Jan. 12, 2011
He shook his head, quick vision-clearing shakings and established himself in the world once more.
From "The Chocolate War" by Robert Cormier
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“Poor humble Gurgi is always faithful to mighty lords—what joy to serve them, even with shakings and breakings.”
From "The Book of Three" by Lloyd Alexander
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.