Definition of: shake

(shāk) v. shook, shak·en, shak·ing v.t.
1. To cause to move to and fro or up and down with short, rapid movements.
2. To affect in a specified manner by or as by vigorous action: with off, out, from, etc.: to shake out a sail; to shake off a tackler.
3. To cause to tremble or quiver; jolt; vibrate: The blows shook the door.
4. To cause to stagger or totter.
5. To weaken or disturb; unsettle: I could not shake his determination.
6. To agitate or rouse; stir: often with up.
7. Slang To get rid of or away from.
8. Music To trill.
9. In dice games, to mix (the dice) before casting.
—v.i.
10. To move to and fro or up and down in short, rapid movements.
11. To be affected in a specified way by vigorous action: with off, out, from, etc.
12. To tremble or quiver, as from cold or fear.
13. To become unsteady; totter.
14. Music To trill a note, etc.
—to shake down
1. To cause to fall by shaking; bring down.
2. To cause to settle; make compact.
3. Slang To extort money from.
—to shake hands To clasp hands as a form of greeting, agreement, etc.
—noun
1. A shaking; concussion; agitation; vibration; shock; jolt.
2. The state of being shaken.
3. plural Colloq. The chill or ague of intermittent fever.
4. A rough, unshaved shingle used to cover barns and shanties.
5. A frost or wind crack in timber; also, a tight fissure in rock.
6. An earthquake.
7. Slang An instant; a jiffy.
8. Music A trill.
9. Colloq. A bargain.
—to give (someone) the shake To get rid of (someone). [OE scacan] Synonyms (verb): agitate, brandish, flap, fluctuate, flutter, jar, joggle, jolt, jounce, oscillate, quake, quaver, quiver, rattle, reel, rock, shiver, shudder, sway, swing, thrill, totter, tremble, vibrate, wave, waver. A thing is shaken which is subjected to short and abruptly checked movements as forward and backward, up and down, from side to side, etc. A thing rocks that is held up from below; it swings if suspended from above, as a pendulum, or pivoted at the side, as a crane or a bridge draw; to oscillate is to swing with a smooth and regular returning motion; a vibrating motion may be tremulous or jarring. The pendulum of a clock may be said to swing or oscillate; a steel bridge vibrates under the passage of a heavy train; the term vibrate is also applied to molecular movements. Jolting is a lifting from and letting down suddenly upon an unyielding surface; a jarring motion is abruptly and very rapidly repeated through an exceedingly limited space; the jolting of the carriage jars the windows. Rattling refers directly to the sound produced by shaking. To joggle is to shake slightly; as, A passing touch joggles the desk on which one is writing. To agitate in its literal use is nearly the same as to shake, but we speak of the sea as agitated when we could not say it is shaken; in the metaphorical use agitate is more transitory and superficial, shake more fundamental and enduring; a person's feelings are agitated by distressing news; his courage, his faith, his credit, or his testimony is shaken. Compare FLUCTUATE, QUAKE, SWAY, TREMBLE.