SHAKING Synonyms: 144 Similar and Opposite Words

shaking 1 of 3

adjective

as in trembling

marked by or given to small uncontrollable bodily movements suffered a shaking chill during his bout with the flu

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shaking

2 of 3

noun

as in twitching

a series of slight movements by a body back and forth or from side to side gave the bottle of salad dressing a good shaking

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as in escape

the act or a means of getting or keeping away from something undesirable condemned the government's shaking of its overseas responsibilities

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shaking

3 of 3

verb

present participle of shake

as in jerking

to make a series of small irregular or violent movements the bus rattled and shook as it barreled down a rutted road

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as in avoiding

to get or keep away from (as a responsibility) through cleverness or trickery we shook our pursuers by cutting through the abandoned lot

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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 shaking

Noun

The strongest shaking is concentrated around the epicenter northwest of Cali and extends toward the Pacific coast, while weaker shaking spreads toward Medellín, Bogotá and surrounding regions. — Nicole Acevedo, NBC news, 10 Aug. 2026 Residents described an intense and prolonged shaking that triggered alarms and forced widespread evacuations. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 10 Aug. 2026 But Tuesday’s shaking, which toppled shelves and hurled computers to the floor, was worse in Yatsushiro than anything Matsushita experienced a decade ago. — USA Today, 30 July 2026 During the many scenes of roiling seas and inevitable shipwrecks, the shaking met the action appropriately. — Matt Minton, Variety, 22 July 2026 Earthquakes' sudden, rapid shaking can cause fires, tsunamis, landslides or avalanches. — Ca Earthquake Bot, Sacbee.com, 16 July 2026 When the shaking subsided, Perez could not reach her nephew, or his wife, by phone. — Joshua Partlow, The Atlantic, 30 June 2026 Engineers said that older housing erected in the 1950s and 1960s — before modern earthquake standards were adopted — may not have been retrofitted to survive such violent shaking. — ABC News, 27 June 2026 The shaking is followed by a period of months or years when the region becomes more prone to landslides because the rocks have moved. — Sylvain Barbot, The Conversation, 26 June 2026

Verb

White slammed Garry for shaking hands and embracing Makhachev before the final round. — Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2026 Yohanna Embu, a resident of Sikka, a regency in East Nusa Tenggara, said a number of buildings were damaged by the strong shaking and panicked people ran to higher ground. — Yacob Herin, Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2026 Bouncing, jiggling, jumping, or shaking could increase the sensation of having to go to the bathroom. — Amber J. Tresca, Verywell Health, 14 Aug. 2026 Yohanna Embu, a resident of Sikka regency, said a number of buildings were damaged by the strong shaking and panicked people ran to higher ground. — ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026 But two young men are shaking things up with the help of social media. — Brittney Melton, NPR, 14 Aug. 2026 His hands were not shaking, and the cup was returned to his father un-rinsed and brimming with water. — Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026 That dynamic is shaking the electric power industry to its core. — Laurent Belsie, Christian Science Monitor, 4 Aug. 2026 Lindsay Clancy cried, her shoulders shaking, during the doctor's testimony. — Penny Kmitt, CBS News, 31 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shaking

Adjective

But with his shaky return from arthroscopic elbow surgery leading to three blown saves in four appearances, the crowd tempered its enthusiasm appropriately.

— Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2026
And reactions tend to get built on shaky ground, which is where the real cost shows up.

— Dan Haiem, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of shaky

Noun

When the trembling decreased, the 27-year-old mother took the stairs seven stories down with her young child in her arms and evacuated the building.

— Nicole Acevedo, NBC news, 10 Aug. 2026
All the trembling, as Kimbangu touched the sick, alarmed European settlers and reassured the plantation workers who trekked to Nkamba in search of healing.

— Rodney Muhumuza, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026

Definition of trembling

Noun

At the island’s northwestern tip, Malli (north) offers the ultimate secluded escape.

— Monica Mendal, Vogue, 10 Aug. 2026
San Fruttuoso, although busy during the day in summer (there are frequent ferries from nearby towns like Camogli, Rapallo and Sestri Levante), becomes an escape-from-it-all retreat in the evening (the village has a population of less than 40).

— Catherine Sabino, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of escape

Verb

McDaniel had his reasons for avoiding supplying his own depth chart beyond not wishing to see it in print or on a website or TV network.

— Elliott Teaford, Oc Register, 10 Aug. 2026
Now some pregnant women and others are avoiding health centers for fear of the virus, at risk to their lives.

— ABC News, ABC News, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of avoiding

Adjective

Standing 10 yards in front of us on a corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue was a shivering elderly woman who looked lost.

— Richard Greenberg, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2026
What she’s produced is a searching, pointedly disorienting text, studded with passages of extreme beauty and generous humor, that wears whimsy like a shivering veil over consuming discomfort, even terror.

— Paul McAdory, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2025

Definition of shivering

Noun

Luis Campusano, who entered as the catcher in the ninth inning, threw out a base stealer at third base and drove home the winning run with a two-out single.

— Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026
Then left fielder Victor Bericoto clanked a fly ball that should’ve been the third out.

— Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of out

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“Shaking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shaking. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of shaking

adjective

noun

verb

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