/ ʃeɪk; NAmE / verb , noun
■ verb
( shook / ʃʊk; NAmE / shaken / ˈʃeɪkən; NAmE /)
OBJECT / BUILDING / PERSON
1.
to move or make sb/sth move with short quick movements from side to side or up and down :
[ v ]
The whole house shakes when a train goes past.
[ vn ]
Shake the bottle well before use.
He shook her violently by the shoulders.
[ vn - adj ]
She shook her hair loose .
2.
[ vn + adv. / prep. ] to move sth in a particular direction by shaking :
She bent down to shake a pebble out of her shoe.
YOUR HEAD
3.
[ vn ] shake your head to turn your head from side to side as a way of saying 'no' or to show sadness, disapproval, doubt, etc. :
She shook her head in disbelief.
HANDS
4.
[ vn ] shake sb's hand | shake hands (with sb) (on sth) | shake sb by the hand to take sb's hand and move it up and down as a way of saying hello or to show that you agree about sth :
Do people in Italy shake hands when they meet?
They shook hands on the deal (= to show that they had reached an agreement) .
Our host shook each of us warmly by the hand.
YOUR FIST
5.
[ vn ] shake your fist (at sb) to show that you are angry with sb; to threaten sb by shaking your fist (= closed hand)
OF BODY
6.
[ v ] shake (with sth) to make short quick movements that you cannot control, for example because you are cold or afraid
SYN tremble :
He was shaking with fear.
I was shaking like a leaf .
Her hands had started to shake.
OF VOICE
7.
[ v ] shake (with sth) ( of sb's voice ) to sound unsteady, usually because you are nervous, upset or angry
SHOCK SB
8.
[ vn ] shake sb (up) (not used in the progressive tenses) to shock or upset sb very much :
He was badly shaken by the news of her death.
The accident really shook her up.
BELIEF / IDEA
9.
[ vn ] to make a belief or an idea less certain :
The incident had shaken her faith in him.
This announcement is bound to shake the confidence of the industry.
GET RID OF
10.
[ vn ] shake sth (off) to get rid of sth :
I can't seem to shake off this cold.
He couldn't shake the feeling that there was something wrong.
•
IDIOMS
- shake in your shoes
- shake a leg
—more at foundation
•
PHRASAL VERBS
- shake down
- shake sb/sth down
- shake sb off
- shake on sth
- shake sth out
- shake sb up
- shake sth up
■ noun
MOVEMENT
1.
[ C , usually sing. ] an act of shaking sth/sb :
Give the bottle a good shake before opening.
He dismissed the idea with a firm shake of his head (= turning it from side to side to mean 'no') .
She gave him a shake to wake him.
—see also handshake
OF BODY
2.
the shakes [ pl. ] ( informal ) a physical condition in which you cannot stop your body from shaking because of fear, illness, or because you have drunk too much alcohol :
I always get the shakes before exams.
DRINK
3.
[ C ] = milkshake :
a strawberry shake
•
IDIOMS
- in two shakes | in a couple of shakes
—more at fair adjective , great adjective
••
WORD ORIGIN
Old English sc(e)acan (verb), of Germanic origin.