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shake

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noun

Synonym Chooser

How is the word shake different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of shake are agitate, convulse, and rock. While all these words mean "to move up and down or to and fro with some violence," shake often carries a further implication of a particular purpose.

shake well before using

When could agitate be used to replace shake?

The words agitate and shake can be used in similar contexts, but agitate suggests a violent and prolonged tossing or stirring.

an ocean agitated by storms

When can convulse be used instead of shake?

The words convulse and shake are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, convulse suggests a violent pulling or wrenching as of a body in a paroxysm.

spectators were convulsed with laughter

When might rock be a better fit than shake?

In some situations, the words rock and shake are roughly equivalent. However, rock suggests a swinging or swaying motion resulting from violent impact or upheaval.

the whole city was rocked by the explosion

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of shake
Verb
The sweet sip combines blonde espresso with horchata syrup — a mix of cinnamon, vanilla and rice flavors — which are then shaken with ice and topped off with oat milk. Erin Clements, People.com, 27 May 2025 The aristocrats of Rome, many of whom fled to Africa, were shocked and angry; their sense of Roman exceptionalism had been shaken. Time, 27 May 2025
Noun
Benefits of Mixing Protein Powder With Milk Mixing protein powder with milk will produce a creamier shake with a more pronounced flavor. Helen Carefoot, Verywell Health, 30 Apr. 2025 In the end, by following his brother’s directive to drink muscle-up shakes, people pleasing is nearly the death of him. Cyndy Etler, Hartford Courant, 28 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for shake
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shake
Verb
  • Trump’s early-morning social-media missive caused markets to shudder.
    Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 23 May 2025
  • One shudders to think how Ross, whom Grant divorced in 1929, and who died in 1951, would have reacted to so echoing a lack.
    Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 5 May 2025
Verb
  • Hoerner avoided the tag, which would’ve been the second out of the inning.
    C. Trent Rosecrans, New York Times, 26 May 2025
  • The collection avoids rigid standards by mixing tailored silhouettes with combat trousers and chunky sneakers.
    Cassell Ferere, Forbes.com, 25 May 2025
Noun
  • According to the brand, the sunscreen is also water-resistant for up to 80 minutes, which is ideal for all upcoming pool and beach escapades.
    Izzy Baskette, People.com, 30 May 2025
  • Indeed, no player has made more passes, tackles, or accrued more minutes.
    Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 30 May 2025
Noun
  • In 2023, powerful quakes killed more than 53,000 people in southeastern Turkey.
    Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 May 2025
  • What the quake failed to do, the violence is now doing: marginalizing Port-au-Prince.
    Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 27 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Avoid jerking the floss or aggressive movements; instead, use smooth, gentle motions.
    Sherri Gordon, Health, 5 May 2025
  • However, the pendulum appears to be jerking back toward the physically and mentally unhealthy skinny extreme–and a new TikTok trend serves as the latest example: SkinnyTok.
    Beth Ann Mayer, Parents, 17 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The former prisoners who have continued to evade police for nearly a week include Leo Tate, Jermaine Donald, Derrick Groves, Lenton Vanburen and Antoine Massey, according to USA Today, while Corey Boyd, Gary Price, Kendell Myles, Robert Moody, and Dkenan Dennis have been re-arrested.
    Sean Neumann, People.com, 22 May 2025
  • Penguin Press, June 17 Image El Dorado Drive by Megan Abbott After skipping town to evade a nagging creditor in 2008, Harper returns to her Detroit suburb months later to find her two older sisters, once in the throes of debt, sporting fresh highlights and driving a Lexus.
    Laura Thompson, New York Times, 22 May 2025
Noun
  • The emotional heartbeat of the gang, Cancer is the one hugging people after blindsides and crying at the final tribal.
    Valerie Mesa, People.com, 31 May 2025
  • The app detects arrhythmias and irregular heartbeats, early signs of heart failure, indicators of coronary artery disease and heart valve abnormalities.
    Ramsha Waseem, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 May 2025
Noun
  • Ring While the United States Geological Survey stresses that factors like the distance from the earthquake, type of soil a building is built on and construction design are all key factors, damage begins to occur if an earthquake reaches somewhere between 4 or 5 magnitude.
    Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 May 2025
  • During an earlier monologue, Robin talks about the great earthquake that will one day level the Pacific Northwest, and at times his words sound not like a prophecy or a warning, but an oblique recollection of the emotional earthquake that devastated him.
    Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 28 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Shake.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shake. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.

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