I. ˈshāk verb
( shook ˈshu̇k, dial ˈshək ; or chiefly dialect shaked ˈshākt ; or dialect shaken ; shak·en ˈshākən ; or chiefly dialect shaked or shook ; shaking ; shakes )
Etymology: Middle English shaken, from Old English sceacan; akin to Old Saxon skakan to depart, Old Norse skaka to shake, Sanskrit khajati he churns, agitates, and probably to Old Norse skaga to project — more at shag
intransitive verb
1. : to move to and fro : quiver , flutter
the long light shakes across the lakes — Alfred Tennyson
sails shaking in the wind
2. : to undergo vibration especially as the result of a blow or shock
the earth itself seemed to shake beneath my feet — W.H.Hudson †1922
felt the ship shake and toss
3.
a. : to tremble as a result of physical or emotional disturbance
felt his heart shaking within him — Marguerite Young
his voice shook and became shrill — Kenneth Roberts
were shaking in their shoes
b. : to become convulsed with laughter
4. : to experience a state of instability
the economy was still shaking from the inflationary impact of the minimum wage decree — Time
5. : to move something to and fro, up and down, or from side to side in a brisk manner especially in order to bring about mixing
shake well before using
6. : to clasp hands
agreed to shake and be friends
7. : trill
8. : to form a crack by a separation between growth rings : split
9. dialect chiefly Britain : fall — usually used of grain or fruit
transitive verb
1.
a. : to brandish, wave, or flourish often in a threatening manner
people passing by … shake their fists and curse — A.E.Housman
the lightly clenched hand and fist shaken vigorously in the direction of the players concerned — Warwick Braithwaite
b. : to wave in farewell
shaking her fingers playfully in the direction of the vehicle — W.M.Thackeray
2.
a. : to cause to move in a quick jerky manner
shake their heads like angry bulls — Goddard Lieberson
rattling and shaking the latch — Dorothy C. Fisher
b. : to cause to be moved briskly in order to remove what adheres or is contained
shook the dustcloth out the window
shook the tree to get some apples
c. : to cause to be moved to and fro, up and down, or from side to side especially in order to bring about mixing
the vial is half filled and shaken vigorously — Journal of Economic Entomology
— often used with up
d. : to move (a part of the body) rhythmically in dancing
resolved to shake their heels … in jigs and Highland reels — David Grant
3.
a. : to cause to quake, quiver, or vibrate
the earthquake … shook all that coast — James Courage
thunder that shook the tropical foliage — Allen Churchill
the boom of a football rally shakes the night air — Corey Ford
b. : to cause to tremble
a shudder shook the long emaciated frame — T.B.Costain
toward afternoon another chill began to shake her — Laura Krey
c. : to cause to become convulsed with laughter
4.
a. : to take hold and move vigorously to and fro
shook the boy until his teeth chattered
shook him by the shoulder to wake him up
b. : worry 2
5.
a. : to free oneself from : cast off
had shaken his bad habits and was firmly launched on his career — Quick
have been disappointed so often that they cannot shake their despair — M.H.Rubin
— often used with off
find it hard to shake off these tentacles of organized crime — R.E.Merriam
b. : to get away from : get rid of
can you shake your friend? I want to talk to you alone — Elmer Davis
the enemy gunboat has far too good a contact to be shaken so easily — E.L.Beach
— often used with off
there was no shaking off the press — Polly Adler
6.
a. : to lessen the stability of : cause to waver : weaken
ignored any book that could shake your faith — Virginia Woolf
nothing that the emperor said or did could shake him — Douglas Stewart
b. : to bring about an impairment of
her mind had been shaken … by the cruelty of her husband — Mary H. Vorse
7.
a. : to bring to a specified condition by or as if by repeated quick jerky movements
the roads are so bad that we nearly get shaken to pieces — Rachel Henning
shook his coat into place as he bent forward — Marguerite Steen
b. : to bring (oneself) to a specified state by or as if by a shake
shook himself loose from the man's grasp
c. : to arouse (oneself) to or as if to activity
shake thyself from the dust; arise — Isa 52:2 (Authorized Version)
8.
a. : to distribute with or as if with a shake : sprinkle
shook salt and pepper over the potatoes
b. obsolete : to cast down : scatter
confounds thy fame as whirlwinds shake fair buds — Shakespeare
9. chiefly Australia : rob , steal
10. : to dislodge or eject by or as if by quick jerky movements of the support or container
shake the quarry from the limb — American Guide Series: Tennessee
shook the sand from his shoes
11.
a. : to clasp (hands) in greeting or farewell or as a sign of good will or agreement
b. : grasp
shook him by the hand at parting — Joseph Addison
12. : to stir the feelings of : upset
the appalling nature of the disaster … shook her very much — Nevil Shute
— often used with up
you were all shaken up inside — R.H.Newman
13. : trill
shake a note in music
14. : to cause a shake in (lumber)
15.
a. : to separate the staves of (a cask)
b. : to disassemble (a cask) and bind into a shook
Synonyms:
agitate , rock , convulse : shake means to move up and down or to and fro, usually with sharp violence, or occasionally to strike with jarring, unsettling impact
as there is a high wind blowing nearly all the time, the nests are continually shaken to and fro — John Seago
this social upheaval is shaking the underdeveloped parts of the world — A.H.Hansen
agitate may suggest continued strong tossing or violent stirring or stirring up with commotion and disturbance
the leaves on the trees were agitated as if by a high wind — W.H.Hudson †1922
the water became agitated with the flapping of countless fins — Tom Marvel
the physician interposes, frightens the family, agitates the patient to the utmost — H.A.Overstreet
rock suggests a swinging back and forth, a violent swaying, or a violent impact bringing about or threatening a fall or collapse
rock a child to sleep
the road was rough and twisting, and the ambulance rocked a great deal — Fred Majdalany
family life rocked with the rise in the divorce rate and the new liberty in sexual matters — Oscar Handlin
convulse suggests the violent, disturbed, wild motion of a spasm or paroxysm
convulsed on the carpet in the paroxysms of an epileptic seizure — Thomas Hardy
earthquakes convulsing the island
convulsed with terror of hellfire — American Guide Series: Massachusetts
Synonym: see in addition swing .
•
- be shook on
- shake a leg
- shake one's head
II. noun
( -s )
1. : an act of shaking: as
a. : an act of shaking hands
welcomed the visitor with a hearty shake
b. : an act of shaking oneself
now lapdogs give themselves the rousing shake — Alexander Pope
2.
a. : a blow or shock that upsets the equilibrium or disturbs the balance of something
the rude shakes which science has given to … their cherished convictions — Herbert Spencer
b. : earthquake
3.
a. : nervous agitation resulting especially from fear — usually used in plural
I don't think I got over the shakes for two hours — Brad Sebstad
b. : a condition or disease accompanied by marked trembling — usually used in plural
nobody has a hangover and … nobody has the shakes — Mary McCarthy
c. shakes plural : malaria 2a
the shakes … supposed to be the result of a miasma emanating from the spring plowing of wild ground — Edna Ferber
d. : an attack of the shakes
4. : something produced by or as if by shaking: as
a.
(1) : a fissure or crack between and parallel to the annual rings of growth in timber usually caused by wind or frost — compare check 14a(1)
(2) : a longitudinal crack in an archery bow
b. : a fissure in strata : a cleft in rock
c. : milk shake
a chocolate shake
5. : a wavering, quivering, or alternating motion caused by or as if by a blow or shock
6. : trill
7.
a. : a very brief period of time : instant
for a shake they had stood there and looked at each other — Conrad Richter
b. : a unit of time used in nuclear physics and related fields that constitutes one hundredth of a microsecond
8. shakes plural : one of importance or ability — usually used in the phrase no great shakes
no great shakes as a philosopher — Wanda Neff
9.
a.
(1) : stave 2a
(2) : shook 1a
b. : a shingle split from a piece of log usually three or four feet long
10. : deal III 2b
the honest merchants who gave baffled marines a square shake — L.M.Uris
11. : dismissal
they all give him the cold shake — Mark Twain
12. : the mechanism that shakes the wet end of a fourdrinier paper machine sideways and thereby causes the fibers to felt together as they settle through the water
13. Britain : a slur or mackle in printing
14. : backlash
15. : shake culture
16.
a. : the distance between the fork and a roller in a watch while at the lock position
b. : the space between the let-off of an escape-wheel tooth and pallet stone in a watch while at the lock position
c. : the end play of arbors in a watch