SHAKE (shaken, shook)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does shake mean? 

• SHAKE (noun)
  The noun SHAKE has 6 senses:

1. building material used as siding or roofing

2. frothy drink of milk and flavoring and sometimes fruit or ice cream

3. a note that alternates rapidly with another note a semitone above it

4. grasping and shaking a person's hand (as to acknowledge an introduction or to agree on a contract)

5. a reflex motion caused by cold or fear or excitement

6. causing to move repeatedly from side to side

  Familiarity information: SHAKE used as a noun is common.

• SHAKE (verb)
  The verb SHAKE has 9 senses:

1. move or cause to move back and forth

2. move with or as if with a tremor

3. shake or vibrate rapidly and intensively

4. move back and forth or sideways

5. undermine or cause to waver

6. stir the feelings, emotions, or peace of

7. get rid of

8. bring to a specified condition by or as if by shaking

9. shake (a body part) to communicate a greeting, feeling, or cognitive state

  Familiarity information: SHAKE used as a verb is familiar.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SHAKE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Building material used as siding or roofing

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Synonyms:

shake; shingle

Hypernyms ("shake" is a kind of...):

building material (material used for constructing buildings)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Frothy drink of milk and flavoring and sometimes fruit or ice cream

Classified under:

Nouns denoting foods and drinks

Synonyms:

milk shake; milkshake; shake

Hypernyms ("shake" is a kind of...):

drink (a single serving of a beverage)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "shake"):

frappe (thick milkshake containing ice cream)

malt; malted; malted milk (a milkshake made with malt powder)

eggshake (a milkshake with egg in it)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A note that alternates rapidly with another note a semitone above it

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

shake; trill

Hypernyms ("shake" is a kind of...):

musical note; note; tone (a notation representing the pitch and duration of a musical sound)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Grasping and shaking a person's hand (as to acknowledge an introduction or to agree on a contract)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

handclasp; handshake; handshaking; shake

Hypernyms ("shake" is a kind of...):

acknowledgement; acknowledgment (a statement acknowledging something or someone)

Domain category:

contract (a binding agreement between two or more persons that is enforceable by law)

Derivation:

shake (shake (a body part) to communicate a greeting, feeling, or cognitive state)

Sense 5

Meaning:

A reflex motion caused by cold or fear or excitement

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

shake; shiver; tremble

Hypernyms ("shake" is a kind of...):

inborn reflex; innate reflex; instinctive reflex; physiological reaction; reflex; reflex action; reflex response; unconditioned reflex (an automatic instinctive unlearned reaction to a stimulus)

Derivation:

shake (move with or as if with a tremor)

shaky (inclined to shake as from weakness or defect)

Sense 6

Meaning:

Causing to move repeatedly from side to side

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

shake; wag; waggle

Hypernyms ("shake" is a kind of...):

agitation (the act of agitating something; causing it to move around (usually vigorously))

Derivation:

shake (move back and forth or sideways)

shake (move or cause to move back and forth)

• SHAKE (verb)

Conjugation:

Sense 1

Meaning:

Move or cause to move back and forth

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

agitate; shake

Context example:

My hands were shaking

Hypernyms (to "shake" is one way to...):

move (move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "shake"):

fluff up; plump up; shake up (make fuller by shaking)

fan (agitate the air)

tremble (move or jerk quickly and involuntarily up and down or sideways)

quake; tremor (shake with seismic vibrations)

palpitate (cause to throb or beat rapidly)

convulse (shake uncontrollably)

sparge (agitate by introducing air or compressed gas)

shake up; succuss (shake; especially (a patient to detect fluids or air in the body))

concuss (shake violently)

rattle (shake and cause to make a rattling noise)

convulse; jactitate; slash; thrash; thrash about; thresh; thresh about; toss (move or stir about violently)

jiggle; joggle; wiggle (move to and fro)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Derivation:

shake (causing to move repeatedly from side to side)

shaker (a container in which something can be shaken)

shaking (the act of causing something to move up and down (or back and forth) with quick movements)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Move with or as if with a tremor

Classified under:

Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care

Synonyms:

didder; shake

Context example:

his hands shook

Hypernyms (to "shake" is one way to...):

move involuntarily; move reflexively (move in an uncontrolled manner)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s

Derivation:

shake (a reflex motion caused by cold or fear or excitement)

shaking (a shaky motion)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Shake or vibrate rapidly and intensively

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

judder; shake

Context example:

The old engine was juddering

Hypernyms (to "shake" is one way to...):

vibrate (shake, quiver, or throb; move back and forth rapidly, usually in an uncontrolled manner)

Domain region:

Britain; Great Britain; U.K.; UK; United Kingdom; United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (a monarchy in northwestern Europe occupying most of the British Isles; divided into England and Scotland and Wales and Northern Ireland; 'Great Britain' is often used loosely to refer to the United Kingdom)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sense 4

Meaning:

Move back and forth or sideways

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

rock; shake; sway

Context example:

She rocked back and forth on her feet

Hypernyms (to "shake" is one way to...):

move back and forth (move in one direction and then into the opposite direction)

Verb group:

rock; sway (cause to move back and forth)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "shake"):

swag (sway heavily or unsteadily)

totter (move without being stable, as if threatening to fall)

nutate (rock, sway, or nod; usually involuntarily)

roll (move, rock, or sway from side to side)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s

Sentence examples:

The crowds shake in the streets
The streets shake with crowds

Derivation:

shake (causing to move repeatedly from side to side)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Undermine or cause to waver

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Context example:

The bad news shook her hopes

Hypernyms (to "shake" is one way to...):

weaken (lessen the strength of)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s something

Sense 6

Meaning:

Stir the feelings, emotions, or peace of

Classified under:

Verbs of feeling

Synonyms:

excite; shake; shake up; stimulate; stir

Context example:

the civil war shook the country

Hypernyms (to "shake" is one way to...):

arouse; elicit; enkindle; evoke; fire; kindle; provoke; raise (call forth (emotions, feelings, and responses))

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "shake"):

fuel (stimulate)

arouse; excite; sex; turn on; wind up (stimulate sexually)

affright; fright; frighten; scare (cause fear in)

thrill; tickle; vibrate (feel sudden intense sensation or emotion)

invite; tempt (give rise to a desire by being attractive or inviting)

elate; intoxicate; lift up; pick up; uplift (fill with high spirits; fill with optimism)

animate; enliven; exalt; inspire; invigorate (heighten or intensify)

titillate (excite pleasurably or erotically)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Sentence examples:

The bad news will shake him
The performance is likely to shake Sue

Sense 7

Meaning:

Get rid of

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

escape from; shake; shake off; throw off

Context example:

I couldn't shake the car that was following me

Hypernyms (to "shake" is one way to...):

break loose; escape; get away (run away from confinement)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Sense 8

Meaning:

Bring to a specified condition by or as if by shaking

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Context example:

shake the salt out of the salt shaker

Hypernyms (to "shake" is one way to...):

alter; change; modify (cause to change; make different; cause a transformation)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody

Sense 9

Meaning:

Shake (a body part) to communicate a greeting, feeling, or cognitive state

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Context example:

Don't shake your fist at me!

Hypernyms (to "shake" is one way to...):

gesticulate; gesture; motion (show, express or direct through movement)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

shake (grasping and shaking a person's hand (as to acknowledge an introduction or to agree on a contract))

 Context examples 

She sprang away, yelling with pain, and while he took delight in the smell of burning flesh and hair, he watched her shaking her head and growling wrathfully a score of feet away.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

Shake hands in confirmation of the word.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

He shook hands with us and took his leave.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

“Misfortunes never come single,” said Phelps, smiling, though it was evident that his adventure had somewhat shaken him.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Someone may have shaken the box and displaced it.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Examining a device for problems resulting from transient physical insults such as dropping or shaking the device.

(Device Shock Testing Evaluation Method, Food and Drug Administration)

A condition in which muscles contract and relax quickly and cause uncontrolled shaking of the body.

(Convulsion, NCI Dictionary)

Luckily, the researchers said there is a solution that does not involve any head shaking.

(Shaking head to free water in ears could cause brain damage in kids, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

Thornton shook him back and forth.

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)

“Very ready,” said Mrs. Gummidge, shaking her head, and wiping her eyes.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)