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Glite Dictionary
🔄 To move quickly 🙅 To signal with body 😨 To unsettle 🏃 To escape 💥 A trembling motion 🥤 A sweet drink 🤝 A hand greeting 🪵 A wood shingle 📱 To trigger device action 🎶 A musical trill
to shake

to shake

121 4.6
To get away from someone who is following you
  • verb
  • /ʃeɪk/
  • Informal
: quitarse de encima
  • You just can't shake me, can you?
  • try to shake
  • unable to shake

And their body does something in a way to shake off that threat.

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Examples

  • She managed to shake off the distractions and focus on her work.

  • How am I going to shake off that powerless feeling?

  • And their body does something in a way to shake off that threat.

    Dr. Mayim Bialik

  • And I just feel like it's important to sort of shake that weight off of yourself.

  • The EC is now trying to shake off a malaise of false expectations.

    Academic text (1992)

  • The downtrodden, unfortunate, and persecuted shake off their shackles and find comfort and advancement in the new religion.

    Academic text (1999)

  • Belle took hold of Nola and shook the crickets off the hem of her sleeping gown.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • To stay healthy, it's important to shake off any negative thoughts that might hold you back.

  • He took a deep breath and tried to shake off his nerves before the presentation.

Synonyms

to get away
vsto shake
646 3.0

To escape from people who are holding you, often by force

is about skilful evasion or removal rather than only breaking out of a place
to escape from
vsto shake
240 2.7

To get away from a person, place, or situation that causes trouble

describes general escape rather than using skillful evasive tricks
to throw off
vsto shake
132 3.8

To quickly remove something you have or that bothers you

focuses on escaping someone or something by skillful evasive action
to shake off
vsto shake
80 3.6

Make something unwanted go away, like an illness, a feeling, or a person following you

focuses on escaping someone or something by skillful evasive action
to skedaddle
vsto shake
  • Informal
20 9.3

To run away quickly because you are afraid

means escaping by clever evasive skill rather than panicked flight
to skitter away
vsto shake
1 5.8

To move quickly and lightly away, often because something scares you

involves skilful evasion to escape or get rid, not only quick frightened movement
to duck and dive
vsto shake
  • UK
1 8.4

To move quickly and skillfully to avoid things or difficult problems

is about escaping fully rather than only dodging threats with quick moves

Idioms

to shake a leg
  • Archaic
3 6.5

To hurry when someone tells you to

to shake like a leaf
  • Informal
2 4.6

To tremble a lot because you are afraid, nervous, or cold

fair shake of the sauce bottle
  • Australian
9.9

A fair chance to take part or succeed

to give one's head a shake
  • Informal
8.6

Make yourself stop worrying and start thinking clearly

to shake the pagoda tree
  • Informal
9.9

To make people react to show hidden problems

to shake the plum tree
8.7

To make ripe fruit or other things fall from a tree by moving its branches quickly

to shake off the dust from one's feet
  • Literature
9.8

Leave a place after a bad experience and not return

Phrasal Verbs

to shake hands
292 1.0

To take someone's hand and move it up and down as a greeting or to show agreement

to shake up
  • Informal
95 4.3

To change how a group or system is arranged to make it work better

to shake up
81 4.2

To upset someone strongly and change how they feel

to shake off
80 3.6

Make something unwanted go away, like an illness, a feeling, or a person following you

to shake things up
  • Informal
28 4.2

Make big changes to try to create excitement or improvement

to shake out
19 2.9

Remove dust and crumbs by shaking something

to shake up
11 3.5

To move something quickly so it becomes fluffier or looser

to shake on
9 3.9

Agree to a deal by holding and moving someone's hand

to shake off the dust
  • Informal
1 6.4

To leave past problems behind and start again

to shake out the rug
1 2.0

To clean a rug by lifting it and beating dust and crumbs out

to shake out the wrinkle
1 3.0

Remove small folds from clothes by shaking them

to shake one's head
1 1.9

Move your head from side to side to show you do not agree

to shake hands
  • Specialized
1 5.8

To exchange messages between two systems to start a secure connection and agree on security keys

Compounds

milk shake
20 1.0

A sweet cold drink you get by mixing milk with ice cream or fruit

fair shake
  • Informal
17 6.0

An equal chance to succeed and be treated the same as others

shake-up
15 4.3

A major change in how people run an organization

How Free

escape
376 1.1
to shake off
80 3.6
to shake
  • Informal
121 4.6
to evade
62 4.4
to slip away
55 3.4

Surface Forms

shake infinitive
shaking present participle
shakes third person singular
shook past
shaken past participle

Etymology

Shake: The idea of 'shaking someone off' comes from physically moving away by quick movement, so to shake someone means to escape from them or get rid of them by moving fast.