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Glite Dictionary
to shake on

to shake on

7 3.9
Agree to a deal by holding and moving someone's hand
  • phrasal verb
  • /ʃeɪk ɑn/
translation icon : sellar el trato
  • Stavenger gripped it firmly, and they shook on the deal.
  • shake on the deal
  • let's shake on

Anyway, in the end we shook on a deal and that's it.

Examples

Synonyms

to sign off
vsto shake on
95 3.9

To give official approval, usually by writing your name on a document

is an informal personal gesture rather than written formal approval
to seal the deal
vsto shake on
  • Informal
22 4.0

Make an agreement official by accepting its final terms

is an informal personal gesture confirming agreement directly

Antonyms

to break
∞ 1.0

To stop an activity or end a habit

to disagree
∞ 1.0

Have a different opinion from someone

How Binding

to contract
  • Formal
64 3.5
to sign
∞ 1.0
to seal the deal
  • Informal
22 4.0
to shake on
7 3.9
to agree
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

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

Morphology

shake + on

The meaning 'to confirm an agreement by shaking hands' is directly derivable from 'shake' (a handshake) combined with 'on' indicating relation to the matter at hand (i.e. 'shake [hands] on this'). This is a straightforward, ritualized compositional meaning present in many languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would likely infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Shake on comes from the simple act of two people shake hands to show they agree. That gesture meant the deal was finished, so now to shake on something means 'to confirm an agreement'.