1
as in to shudder
to make a series of small irregular or violent movements
the bus rattled and shook as it barreled down a rutted road
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in to avoid
to get or keep away from (as a responsibility) through cleverness or trickery
we shook our pursuers by cutting through the abandoned lot
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in minute
a very small space of time
I'll be there in two shakes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in shivers
shakes plural
a sense of panic or extreme nervousness
I get the shakes every time I hear her voice
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in quake
a shaking of the earth
the shake was a modest 3.1 on the Richter scale
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shake
Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Apr. 2025
Trump's punishing tariffs have shaken a global trading order that has persisted for decades, raised fears of recession, and driven worldwide stocks sharply downward.
—Joe Cash and Trevor Hunnicutt, USA Today, 9 Apr. 2025
Emily Cegielski, Flow Space, 24 Mar. 2025
Another has been figuring out how best to protect the buildings' historic but extremely flammable shingles, also known as shakes.
—Chloe Veltman, NPR, 31 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shake
Verb
Dredge both sides of chicken breasts with flour mixture, pressing to adhere, shake off any excess.
—Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Apr. 2025
Trump's punishing tariffs have shaken a global trading order that has persisted for decades, raised fears of recession, and driven worldwide stocks sharply downward.
—Joe Cash and Trevor Hunnicutt, USA Today, 9 Apr. 2025
Noun
Of course, not every shake could crack the top five—but that doesn’t mean the rest were a bust.
—Emily Cegielski, Flow Space, 24 Mar. 2025
Another has been figuring out how best to protect the buildings' historic but extremely flammable shingles, also known as shakes.
—Chloe Veltman, NPR, 31 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shake
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shake
Verb
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Most residents in the beachfront luxury condominium at Surfside were asleep in their beds when their 12-story residential building shuddered and then collapsed, pinning sleeping residents between the heavy concrete slabs of each floor.—
Bruce Strom,
Sun Sentinel,
6 Apr. 2025
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Image Wall Street shuddered in response, with early market reaction pointing to a further slide in the stock market and a weakening dollar.—
Natasha Frost,
New York Times,
3 Apr. 2025
Verb
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In another legend, the monk was said to have cut off his eyelids to avoid falling asleep during his meditation, one explanation for the doll’s wide-eyed stare.—
Rebecca Cairns,
CNN Money,
8 Apr. 2025
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Facing the Marlins for the second time in a week, the Mets (7-3) avoided facing ace Sandy Alcantara, with the 2022 Cy Young Award winner having been added to the paternity list earlier in the day.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
8 Apr. 2025
Noun
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What’s the statistic there, the average ER physician has to see a patient every three to four minutes?—
Adam B. Vary,
Variety,
11 Apr. 2025
-
The defense's case to spare Mahdi's life before a judge lasted only about 30 minutes.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
11 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Myanmar’s quake is as close to a no-show as the nation has had in recent memory at a major, accessible natural disaster.—
Ellen Knickmeyer and David Rising,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Apr. 2025
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The quake struck at 9:23 p.m. about five miles south-southeast of the city in San Benito County, the USGS reported.—
Jason Green,
Mercury News,
4 Apr. 2025
Verb
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This apparently spooked an SUV driver in the next lane, who jerked the wheel to the left and ran into the opposite curb.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
27 Mar. 2025
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How to jerk off Jerking off, also known as jacking off, is another technique that can be helpful in your arsenal of self-pleasure.—
Quispe López,
Them,
12 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Most of these are fine goals, and some (such as finally terminating the university’s efforts to evade a Supreme Court–ordered end to its use of race discrimination in admissions) ought to be uncontroversial.—
The Editors,
National Review,
16 Apr. 2025
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Security scrutinized: Suspect eluded officers protecting Shapiro Balmer started fires while troopers searched Troopers were able to safely evacuate Shapiro's family and others in the mansion, but the fire raises the question of how Balmer was able to evade security.—
John Bacon,
USA Today,
16 Apr. 2025
Noun
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There’s a foot-stomping grin of a heartbeat to John’s piano riffs, too, content but happy.—
Shana Naomi Krochmal,
Vulture,
4 Apr. 2025
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The miniature pacemaker is composed of two electrodes that, when in contact with the body’s fluids, form a type of battery called a galvanic cell, which converts chemical energy into electrical energy used to stimulate the heartbeat.—
Margherita Bassi,
Smithsonian Magazine,
4 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Nearly 100 earthquake victims were already waiting for surgery when the team arrived.—
Jasmine Baehr,
FOXNews.com,
9 Apr. 2025
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Known as museum mounting wax, the product comes in a solid block and acts as an adhesive for small objects, preventing them from toppling off their display stands due to an earthquake or accidental bump from kids, pets, or partygoers.—
Carol Kino,
Robb Report,
13 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shake.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shake. Accessed 21 Apr. 2025.
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