shake often carries a further implication of a particular purpose.
shake well before using
agitate suggests a violent and prolonged tossing or stirring.
an ocean agitated by storms
rock suggests a swinging or swaying motion resulting from violent impact or upheaval.
the whole city was rocked by the explosion
convulse suggests a violent pulling or wrenching as of a body in a paroxysm.
spectators were convulsed with laughter
Example Sentences
Verb The ground shook during the earthquake. The house shook as the train rumbled by. The earthquake shook the ground. Shake the salad dressing well before using it. I was so nervous that I was shaking like a leaf. The fugitive couldn't shake the police. It's hard to shake the feeling that I'm forgetting something. The news did nothing to shake my belief that things will be okay. Nothing could shake his faith in God. Noun He responded to the question with a shake of his head. Give the dice a shake. He drank too much coffee and got a bad case of the shakes. See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Explosions shake the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson throughout the day. Ian Lovett, WSJ, 11 Sep. 2022 Sickly yellow grasses shake in the breeze, and rings of mud surround shallow rainwater ponds. Henry Gass, The Christian Science Monitor, 9 Sep. 2022 His stepfather, however, cannot shake the dread of what would happen if there were another shooting. Paul J. Weber, Anchorage Daily News, 6 Sep. 2022 Memories of horrors witnessed can be hard to shake.New York Times, 11 July 2022 Still, his preference for in-person work is hard to shake. Katie Johnston, BostonGlobe.com, 4 July 2022 But fully vaccinated has been hard to shake, even for the CDC. Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 23 June 2022 Consumers often rein in spending as gloom sets in, giving recessions a psychological component that can be hard to shake. Allison Morrow, CNN, 12 June 2022 Baker puts you inside these worlds in a way that’s hard to shake. John Warner, Chicago Tribune, 11 June 2022
Noun
Not surprisingly, his regular dinner order at McDonald’s — two McDoubles, two McChickens, 20 chicken nuggets, large fries, large shake and large soda — packed on pounds.oregonlive, 18 Aug. 2022 Simply blend one vanilla bean, ice cream, and half-and-half for vanilla shake perfection. Samantha Lande, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 Aug. 2022 The foreclosure, which is in the earliest stages and could still be averted, is an early sign of a shake-out that may come to the city’s downtown office market in the fallout from COVID-19. Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 8 Aug. 2022 But an aggressive 5G build out—while important in the long run—isn’t necessarily a positive for an industry that is only now fully capitalizing on 4G after the big shake-out triggered by Jio’s disruptive 2016 entry into the telecom business. Megha Mandavia, WSJ, 2 Aug. 2022 For an icy dessert like no other, consider the falooda, a supremely indulgent rose petal shake layered with malai kulfi, rice noodles, basil seeds and rose syrup. Megha Mcswain, Chron, 15 July 2022 The burger joint is offering buy one shake and get one free every weekday for the rest of the summer. Sabrina Weiss, PEOPLE.com, 15 July 2022 Christian Reynoso’s Date, Banana and Almond Smoothie tastes very much like the Coachella Valley date shake that inspired it.Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2022 Add the gin, dry vermouth, fresh lemon juice, sugar syrup, a few strawberries and an egg white (or vegan alternative) into a cocktail shaker and dry shake (without ice). Emily Burack, Town & Country, 27 June 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Verb
Middle English, from Old English sceacan; akin to Old Norse skaka to shake