verb | noun
shakeshake1 /ʃeɪk/ ●●● S2 W2 verb (past tense shook /ʃʊk/, past participle shaken /ˈʃeɪkən/) 1
MOVE [intransitive, transitive] to move up and down or from side to side with quick repeated movements, or to make someone or something do this: Shake the bottle well. His wife shook him awake. Never shake a baby. The whole house started to shake.shake something out of/off/from something She shook the sand out of her shoes (=removed it by shaking them).THESAURUSvibrate – to shake continuously with small fast movements: The music was so loud that the whole room vibrated.rattle – to shake and make a noise: The windows rattled in the wind.shudder – to shake strongly for a short time. Used about machines and structures or buildings: Cyrus braked, and the old truck shuddered to a stop.wobble – to move or shake from side to side in an unsteady way: The stack of books wobbled and fell.2body [intransitive] if someone shakes, he or she makes small sudden movements from side to side or up and down, especially because he or she is frightened, cold, or sick: His hand shook as he signed the paper. What’s the matter? You’re shaking like a leaf (=shaking a lot because you are very nervous or frightened).shake with anger/fear/laughter etc. Her body was shaking with laughter.THESAURUStremble – to shake because you are frightened or upset: The dog was trembling with fear.shiver – to shake because you are very cold: I jumped up and down to stop myself from shivering.shudder – to shake for a moment, especially because something is very unpleasant or upsetting: She shuddered every time she thought about the accident.quiver – to shake slightly, especially because you are angry, upset, or anxious. Used especially about voices and body parts: The boy’s lip began to quiver as he tried to keep from crying.3shake your head to turn your head from side to side as a way of saying no or to show disapproval, surprise, or sadness: “Do you know why?” He shook his head.shake your head in disgust/despair etc. She shook her head in dismay.4shake hands (with somebody) (also shake somebody’s hand) to hold someone’s hand in your hand and move it up and down, as a greeting or as a sign you have agreed on something: “It’s nice to meet you,” Hal said, shaking Mark’s hand.5shake somebody’s confidence/faith/belief to make someone feel less confident, less sure about his or her beliefs, etc.: The trial had shaken his belief in the legal system.6shake your fist (at somebody) to show that you are angry by holding up and shaking your tightly closed hand7SHOCK [transitive] to shock and upset someone or a group of people very much: News of the accident shook the tiny farming community. She was badly shaken by the experience.8VOICE [intransitive] if your voice shakes, it sounds nervous or uncertain: shake with Tim’s voice shook with emotion.9ESCAPE [transitive] (also shake off) to escape from someone who is chasing you: They managed to shake the police car that was following them.10GET RID OF [transitive] (also shake off) to get rid of an illness, a problem, something annoying, etc.: I can’t seem to shake off this cold. Parker hopes to shake his image as a dull unimaginative politician.11be shaking in your boots informal to be very nervous or worried: Employees were shaking in their boots at the thought of more layoffs.12more something than you can shake a stick at humorous a lot or very many: There are more fast-food places in this town than you can shake a stick at.13shake a leg spoken to hurry and start doing something now: Come on, shake a leg!14shake your booty humorous to dance to popular music[Origin: Old English sceacan] → see also shake/rock something to its foundations at foundation (7)shake somebody ↔ down phrasal verb1informal to get money from someone by using threats: Corrupt officials were shaking down local business owners.2to search a person or place thoroughly → see also shakedownshake on something phrasal verb spoken to agree on a decision or business agreement by shaking hands: Let’s shake on it.shake out phrasal verb1 shake somebody out of something to make someone change an attitude, emotion, or opinion, especially one that you do not approve of: She tried to shake herself out of it, but soon began crying again.2 shake something ↔ out to shake a cloth, bag, sheet, etc. so that it is not folded anymore, or so that small pieces of dirt or dust come off: He shook out his napkin and put it in his lap.3 to change naturally over a period of time until the final result is clear, especially when some things are removed from the situation: The project was put on hold to see how things were going to shake out.4 shake something ↔ out to change a situation by removing things from it that are not useful or that do not make a profit: It will take time to shake out all the bugs in the new system.shake somebody/something ↔ up phrasal verb1to make changes to an organization in order to make it more effective: A new manager is coming in to shake things up. → see also shakeup2to give someone a very bad shock so that he or she feels very upset and frightened: The accident shook her up a lot. → see also shaken, shook up verb | noun
shakeshake2 ●●○ noun 1[countable] a cold drink made of milk, ice cream, and fruit or chocolate SYN milkshake: Jose ordered a strawberry shake.2[countable] an act of shaking: She gave him a little shake, to wake him up.3the shakes not technical nervous shaking of your body caused by illness, fear, too much alcohol, etc.: She would get the shakes before going on stage.4no great shakes informal not very good: He’s no great shakes as a singer.5[countable] a small flat square piece of wood, used with many other pieces to cover a roof: The cabin has a shake roof. → see also give/get a fair shake at fair1 (8)