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Glite Dictionary
to shake one's head

to shake one's head

284 1.9
Move your head from side to side to show you do not agree
  • phrasal verb
  • /ʃeɪk wʌnz hɛd/
translation icon : negar con la cabeza
  • He shook his head to show he disagreed with the proposal.
  • shakes her head no
  • shakes his head sadly
  • said, shaking his head

Examples

  • The man at the information desk in the mall blinked rapidly and shook his head.

    Academic text (2013)

  • "They're not like us," Rob said, shaking his head and rocking in his chair.

    Academic text (2009)

  • Why are you shaking your head?

    What Happens Later (2023)

  • And he just kept shaking his head and he said...

    Playing by Heart (1998)

  • His wife shakes her head.

    The Post (2017)

  • And you're shaking your head no.

    Cat Person (2023)

  • I have never heard anything about that," she said, shaking her head with annoyance.

    Academic text (2009)

  • And the parents just shook their heads and smiled.

    The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990)

  • Did Jill have any money of her own?" He shook his head, looking baffled now.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • "Look, why don't we put it to a vote?" Jana Li Hu shook her head emphatically.

    Fiction book (1990)

Antonyms

to agree
∞ 1.0

Have the same opinion or say yes

to approve
∞ 1.6

To officially agree to something or think that it is good

How Disapproving

to scowl
33 4.1
to shake one's head
284 1.9
to frown
160 1.0
to turn away
94 2.3

Surface Forms

shake one's head infinitive
shaking one's head present participle
shakes one's head third person singular
shook one's head past
shaken one's head past participle

Morphology

shake + one + head

The meaning is directly and transparently derived from combining 'shake' (to move) with 'one's head' (the head of the person) — moving the head side-to-side naturally conveys disagreement, disapproval, or refusal. This is a common, cross-linguistic communicative gesture and follows normal compositional patterns, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words will readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

Shake one's head comes from the simple picture of a person moving the head from side to side to shake and say 'no' without words. That's why it now means 'to refuse', 'to disagree', or show 'disapproval'.