SHAKE | Meaning, Definition In Cambridge English Dictionary

Meaning of shake in English shakeverb uk /ʃeɪk/ us /ʃeɪk/ shook | shaken

shake verb (MOVE)

Add to word list Add to word list B1 [ I or T ] to move backwards and forwards or up and down in quick, short movements, or to make something or someone do this: A young boy climbed into the apple tree and shook the branches so that the fruit fell down. Babies like toys that make a noise when they're shaken. The explosion shook buildings for miles around. [ + obj + adj ] People in southern California were shaken awake by an earthquake.shake something loose She shook her hair loose from its ribbon.shake something over something Anna shook some powdered chocolate over her coffee. Every time one of these big trucks goes by, all the houses shake.shake with The child's body was shaking with sobs. B2 [ I ] If you are shaking, your body makes quick short movements, or you feel as if it is doing so, because you are frightened or nervous: She was shaking as she opened the letter.shake in your shoes/boots I was shaking in my shoes/boots (= very nervous) about having to tell Dad what I'd done.shake like a leaf I was shaking like a leaf (= very nervous) before the test.  shake in your boots (also shake in your shoes) to be very frightened or nervous: She said she was shaking in her boots when she found out the patient was a doctor. See more C2 [ I ] If your voice shakes, it makes you sound nervous or frightened: Her voice shook as she talked about the person who attacked her.  shake someone's hand (also shake someone by the hand) B1 to hold someone's hand and move it up and down, especially when you meet them for the first time or when you make an agreement with them: "Pleased to meet you," he said, shaking my hand. "Congratulations," she said, shaking the winner by the hand. She greeted him warmly and shook his hand. People often come up to him in the street to shake his hand and thank him. She embraced the mayor and shook his hand. She stopped and shook me by the hand.  shake hands If two people shake hands, they greet each other or say goodbye by briefly joining hands and moving them slightly up and down: shake hands with The Princess was photographed shaking hands with AIDS victims. See more  shake (hands) on something If two people shake (hands) on something, they make an agreement by briefly joining hands and moving them slightly up and down: It seems that we have a deal, so let's shake (hands) on it. See more  shake your head B2 to move your head from side to side, in order to express disagreement, sadness, or that you do not want or believe something: I asked Tim if he'd seen Jackie lately but he shook his head. See more  shake your fist to hold your hand up in the air with your fingers and thumb bent, and move it forcefully backwards and forwards, to show that you are angry: He shook his fist at the driver who pulled out in front of him. See more

• Screw the lid firmly on to the jar and shake well.
• Turn the bottle upside down and shake it.
• I shook him but he didn't waken.
• When the plane started to shake, I feared the worst.
• She put out her hand to shake mine.

Shaking, swinging and vibrating

• brandish
• earth-shaking
• flappy
• flourish
• fluff
• fluff something up phrasal verb
• reverberation
• reverberative
• ripple
• rock-a-bye
• shake out phrasal verb
• shakily
• shiver
• sway
• thrash
• trembly
• tremulously
• vibrate
• vibration
• vibratory

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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Making short, sudden movements Welcoming, greeting & greetings Gestures & gesturing

shake verb (UPSET)

[ T ] to cause to feel upset and worried: The child seemed nervous and visibly shaken. The news has shaken the whole country. Making people sad, shocked and upset

• aback
• amiss
• appal
• be laughing on the other side of your face idiom
• bite
• bum
• gnaw
• haunt
• heartbreaker
• heartbreakingly
• hit/touch a (raw) nerve idiom
• nerve
• self-lacerating
• self-laceration
• sensitivity
• shake someone out of something phrasal verb
• shake someone up phrasal verb
• shake/rock something to its foundations idiom
• toxic
• wipe

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shake verb (MAKE WEAKER)

[ T ] to make something less certain, firm, or strong: What has happened has shaken the foundations of her belief. After six defeats in a row, the team's confidence has been badly shaken.shake something (up) This discovery may shake (up) traditional theories on how mountains are formed. Becoming and making less strong

• abate
• abatement
• adulterant
• adulterate
• adulterated
• be fading away/fast idiom
• damp
• dilute
• dilution
• downtoner
• ease
• ebb
• emasculation
• enervate
• melt away phrasal verb
• subdue
• subside
• temper
• tone something down phrasal verb
• totter

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shake verb (GET RID OF)

C2 [ T ] to get rid of or escape from something: It's very difficult to shake the habit of a lifetime.shake something (off) The company has so far been unable to shake (off) its reputation for being old-fashioned. Removing and getting rid of things

• abandonment
• banish
• be scattered to the four winds idiom
• bin
• cast someone/something aside/away/off phrasal verb
• dispense
• dumping
• eradication
• eradication of something
• erasure
• evacuate
• evacuate someone from something
• fling
• leach
• scatter
• scrape
• scraping
• see the back of someone/something idiom
• shed
• shedding

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Idioms

more (...) than you can shake a stick at shake a leg

Phrasal verbs

shake someone down shake someone/somewhere down shake down shake something off shake someone/something off shake out shake something out shake someone out of something shake someone up shake something up shakenoun uk /ʃeɪk/ us /ʃeɪk/

shake noun (MOVEMENT)

[ C ] an act of shaking something: give something a shake She gave the box a shake to see if there was anything inside it.shake of "No, no, no," he said with a shake of his head.  the shakes [ plural ] informal short, quick movements from side to side that your body makes because you are ill, are frightened, or have drunk too much alcohol: I watched her hands as she prepared coffee and she definitely had the shakes. See more Shaking, swinging and vibrating

• brandish
• earth-shaking
• flappy
• flourish
• fluff
• fluff something up phrasal verb
• reverberation
• reverberative
• ripple
• rock-a-bye
• shake out phrasal verb
• shakily
• shiver
• sway
• thrash
• trembly
• tremulously
• vibrate
• vibration
• vibratory

See more results »

shake noun (DRINK)

[ C ] a drink made by adding fruit or other ingredients to milk or ice cream and mixing it together : She was carrying two hot dogs in one hand and a shake in the other. This place does the best banana shakes. Synonym milkshakeCompare smoothie (DRINK)   Debby Lewis-Harrison/Cultura/GettyImages [ C ] a protein shake (= a drink made by mixing a special powder containing protein with milk or water): This shake will give you about 100 grams of protein, and should be taken immediately after your workout. That will give you a little more protein than you need, so you can cut the whey in your post-workout shake to 1 scoop. Soft drinks

• apple juice
• Arnold Palmer
• bitter lemon
• blackcurrant
• boba
• dalgona coffee
• egg cream
• energy drink
• frappé
• ginger ale
• non-alcoholic
• noncola
• OJ
• orange juice
• orange squash
• soda pop
• soda water
• soft drink
• spiked seltzer
• Vichy water

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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Drinks - general words

shake noun (PIECE OF WOOD)

[ C ] US a flat piece of wood split (= cut with a tool such as an) axe from a block, and then fixed in rows to make a roof or wall covering: Cedar shakes are hand split from logs and shaped with a thicker end to give a rustic appearance. Compare shingle   jatrax/iStock/Getty Images Plus/GettyImages

• While many people use the terms interchangeably, shingles and shakes are not the same.
• Generally, a shingle is sawn on both sides and is thinner at the butt than a shake.

Building materials

• acoustic tile
• adobe
• agglomerate
• airbrick
• asphalt
• decking
• drywall
• fibro
• fixing
• flagged
• oakum
• particle board
• paving
• prestressed
• putty
• Tarmac
• tile
• two-by-four
• unreinforced
• wattle

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Idiom

in two shakes (of a lamb's tail) (Definition of shake from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

shake | American Dictionary

shakeverb us /ʃeɪk/ past tense shook us/ʃʊk/ | past participle shaken us/ˈʃeɪ·kən/

shake verb (MOVE)

Add to word list Add to word list [ I/T ] to move something backward and forward or up and down in quick, short movements: [ T ] Shake the can. [ T ] She shook Dana gently. [ T ] Cory shook some powdered sugar on her French toast. [ I ] The explosion made the ground shake. [ M ] Lily shook her long hair out (= moved her hair to make it fall loosely around her shoulders). [ M ] She shook out the tablecloth (= shook it so anything on it fell off). [ I/T ] If you or part of your body shakes, you make quick, short movements, or you feel as if you are doing this, because you are cold, frightened, or upset: [ I ] She was soaking wet and shaking when she when she finally got home. [ I ] Her hands shook as she opened the letter. [ I/T ] If someone’s voice shakes, its sound frequently changes because of fear or other emotions.  shake your fist If you shake your fist, you hold your hand up with your fingers and thumb closed and move it backward and forward to show you are angry: They stood at the gate, shaking their fists and shouting.  shake hands If two people shake hands, they greet or say goodbye by briefly joining hands and moving them slightly up and down: We shook hands and left.  shake your head If you shake your head, you move it from side to side to say "no" or show disagreement, sympathy, sadness, or that you do not believe something: Frank shook his head in disbelief. My dad shook his head, "No, you can't go."

shake verb (UPSET)

[ T ] to cause someone to feel upset and troubled: Juanita was shaken and tried not to cry. The instructor was shaken by the angry e-mails she received.

shake verb (WEAKEN)

[ T ] to make someone’s beliefs less certain or strong; to weaken: Nothing shook her conviction that there was no substitute for hard work. The defense failed to shake Powell’s testimony.

shake verb (GET RID OF)

[ T ] to get rid of something, or escape from something: He couldn’t shake the feeling that Tony had another motive. I’ve had this cold all week and just can’t seem to shake it.

Idioms

on shaky ground shake a leg

Phrasal verbs

shake something up shake someone up shake down someone shake off something shakenoun [ C ] us /ʃeɪk/

shake noun [C] (MOVEMENT)

the act of moving something backward and forward or up and down in quick, short movements: Give the bottle a shake. Maria answered no with a shake of her head. infml A shake is a milkshake.  the shakes infml The shakes is a condition in which most or all of your body moves slightly from cold, fear, or illness: Just thinking about the upcoming interview gave him the shakes. (Definition of shake from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

shake | Business English

shakeverb [ T ] uk /ʃeɪk/ us Add to word list Add to word list if something shakes someone's beliefs, hopes, etc., it destroys these feelings or makes them weaker: Shareholders' hopes of a quick profit have been badly shaken by recent events. The credit crunch shook public confidence in the financial system.  shake hands to hold someone's hand with one of your hands and move it up and down to greet someone or show that an agreement has been reached: shake hands with sb He waited in the lobby to shake hands with prospective customers. After signing the contract both sides shook hands.  shake hands on sth to reach an agreement about something: After months of negotiation they finally shook hands on the deal.

Phrasal verbs

shake down shake sb down shake out shake sth out shake sth up (Definition of shake from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press) What is the pronunciation of shake?

Translations of shake

in Chinese (Traditional) 移動, 搖動, 抖動… See more in Chinese (Simplified) 移动, 摇动, 抖动… See more in Spanish agitar, agitarse, temblar… See more in Portuguese sacudir, tremer, agitar… See more in Marathi in Japanese in Turkish in French in Catalan in Dutch in Tamil in Hindi in Gujarati in Danish in Swedish in Malay in German in Norwegian in Urdu in Ukrainian in Telugu in Bengali in Czech in Indonesian in Thai in Vietnamese in Polish in Korean in Italian हादरणे, कंप सुटणे, थरथरणे… See more 揺れる, ～を揺する, 振る… See more sarsmak, silkelemek, sallamak… See more secouer, trembler, bouleverser… See more agitar(-se), tremolar, estremir-se… See more schudden, schokken, het schudden… See more விரைவான, குறுகிய இயக்கங்களில் பின்னோக்கி மற்றும் முன்னோக்கி அல்லது மேல் மற்றும் கீழ் நோக்கி செல்ல அல்லது ஏதாவது செய்ய அல்லது யாராவது இதைச் செய்ய, நீங்கள் நடுங்குகிறீர்கள் என்றால்… See more हिल जाना या हिलाना, (भय या घबराहट में) काँपना, (घबराहट में स्वर का) काँपना… See more ધ્રૂજવું, થોથવાવું… See more ryste, ryst, shake… See more skaka, [upp]skaka, göra upprörd… See more terketar-ketar, melemahkan, menggoncang… See more (er)heben (lassen), erschüttern, das Schütteln… See more riste, ryste, skjelve… See more ہلنا, ہلانا, لرزنا… See more тремтіти, трястися, похитнути… See more వణకడం, మీ స్వరం వణుకుతుంటే, అది మిమ్మల్ని భయం లేక ఆందోనలో ఉన్నట్టు చూపిస్తుంది.… See more কেঁপে ওঠা, ভয় পাওয়া বা নার্ভাস্‌ হয়ে যাওয়ার জন্যে শরীরে কাঁপুনি হওয়া বা কেঁপে ওঠা, ভয়ে গলার স্বর কেঁপে ওঠা… See more (o)třást (se), otřást, (za)třepání… See more mengguncang, menggoyahkan, kocokan… See more สั่น, สะเทือนใจ, หารเขย่า… See more rung, lắc, làm sửng sốt… See more trząść (się), potrząsać, wstrząsnąć… See more 흔들다, 떨다… See more agitare, scuotere, tremare… See more Need a translator?

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shaggy shaggy-dog story shagreen Shah shake shake (hands) on something phrase shake a leg idiom shake hands phrase shake in your boots phrase {{#randomImageQuizHook.filename}} {{#randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} Test your vocabulary with our fun image quizzes Try a quiz now {{/randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} {{^randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} {{/randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} {{/randomImageQuizHook.filename}}

More meanings of shake

• milkshake
• shake-up
• protein shake
• shake, at trill
• shake-out, at shakeout
• shake-up, at shakeup
• shake down someone phrasal verb

See all meanings

• shake down someone phrasal verb
• shake off something phrasal verb
• shake something up phrasal verb
• shake someone up phrasal verb
• shake sth up phrasal verb
• shake down phrasal verb
• shake sb down phrasal verb

See all phrasal verb meanings

• on shaky ground idiom
• shake a leg idiom
• shake (hands) on something phrase
• shake your fist phrase
• shake your head phrase
• shake hands phrase
• a fair shake idiom

See all idioms and phrases

Word of the Day

family-style

UK /ˈfæm.əl.iˌstaɪl/ US /ˈfæm.əl.iˌstaɪl/

(of food) brought to the table in large dishes so that people can serve themselves

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• English   
  • Verb 
    • shake (MOVE)
    • shake in your boots
    • shake someone's hand
    • shake hands
    • shake (hands) on something
    • shake your head
    • shake your fist
    • shake (UPSET)
    • shake (MAKE WEAKER)
    • shake (GET RID OF)
  • Noun 
    • shake (MOVEMENT)
    • the shakes
    • shake (DRINK)
    • shake (PIECE OF WOOD)
• American   
  • Verb 
    • shake (MOVE)
    • shake your fist
    • shake hands
    • shake your head
    • shake (UPSET)
    • shake (WEAKEN)
    • shake (GET RID OF)
  • Noun 
    • shake (MOVEMENT)
    • the shakes
• Business   
  • Verb 
    • shake
    • shake hands
    • shake hands on sth

• Translations
• Grammar
• All translations

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