shake
/ˈʃeɪk/ verb B1- To cause (something) to move rapidly in opposite directions alternatingly. · The earthquake shook the building.· He shook the can of soda for thirty seconds before delivering it to me, so that, when I popped it open, soda went everywhere.
- To move (one's head) from side to side, especially to indicate refusal, reluctance, or disapproval. · Shaking his head, he kept repeating “No, no, no”.
- To move or remove by agitating; to throw off by a jolting or vibrating motion. · to shake fruit down from a tree· The door finally shook free of its hinges.
- To disturb emotionally; to shock. · Her father’s death shook her terribly.· He was shaken by what had happened.
- To lose, evade, or get rid of (something). · I can’t shake the feeling that I forgot something.
- To move from side to side. · She shook with grief.
- To shake hands. · OK, let’s shake on it.
- To dance. · She was shaking it on the dance floor.
He/she/it shakes · Past shook · Past participle shaken · -ing form shaking
Verb forms
- Base form
- shake
- He/she/it
- shakes
- Past
- shook
- Past participle
- shaken
- -ing form
- shaking
An irregular verb: learn its past and past participle by heart.
Phrasal verbs and expressions
From the library
“If I were sole owner we’d shake hands on it now, my dear Dantès, and call it settled; but I have a partner, and you know the Italian proverb—Chi ha compagno ha padrone—‘He who has a partner has a master.’ But the thing is at least half done, as you have one out of two votes.
“Eh—eh!” said Caderousse, shaking his head.
And so I came,” added Caderousse, “as fast as I could to have the pleasure of shaking hands with a friend.”
During this conversation, Dantès, after having exchanged a cheerful shake of the hand with all his sympathizing friends, had surrendered himself to the officer sent to arrest him, merely saying, “Make yourselves quite easy, my good fellows, there is some little mistake to clear up, that’s all, depend upon it; and very likely I may not have to go so far as the prison to effect that.”
Other matches
Learn shake in real texts
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