- past tense form of shake.
shook
1 Americannoun
-
a set of staves and headings sufficient for one hogshead, barrel, or the like.
-
a set of the parts of a box, piece of furniture, or the like, ready to be put together.
-
a shock of sheaves or the like.
noun
-
(in timber working) a set of parts ready for assembly, esp of a barrel
-
a group of sheaves piled together on end; shock
verb
adjective
Usage
What else does shook mean? Shook is the past tense form of shake, used as a slang term to describe feelings ranging from discombobulation and fear to rage and elation, kind of like "all shaken up."
Etymology
Origin of shook1
First recorded in 1890–95, for the adjective
Origin of shook2
First recorded in 1760–70; short for shook cask, variant of shaken cask, one dismounted for shipment
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.
We finally woke up and shook it off.
From Salon ● Nov. 4, 2026
Maresca shook up his starting line-up by making nine changes to the side that were beaten at Aston Villa on Saturday and it almost backfired.
From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026
Portland guard Damian Lillard shook off uncharacteristically poor free-throw shooting to finish with 21 points and a dagger three-pointer to put the Trail Blazers up by six with 43 seconds left.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
The following year, generational unrest shook and sometimes toppled governments from Nepal and Madagascar to Morocco and Peru.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026
I shook out my blanket and lay on top of it, shoulder to shoulder, a row of operators like matchsticks in a box.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
