shook

verb

Definition of shooknext
past tense of shake
1
as in jerked
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

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2
as in avoided
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

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 shook Messick laughed, shook his head and pleaded for the nickname to meet a quick demise. — Zack Meisel, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026 Neighbors said the blast shook homes as far as two blocks away. — Bryant Reed, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026 During an allegedly sleepy period on the NBA schedule, the Lakers shook everyone awake with a blaring alarm. — Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2026 Instead, Lauritzen reportedly shook his head and accelerated forward. — Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 18 Aug. 2026 Adams shook loose from Bland on another play on the left sideline that Stafford pushed just a bit too far for an incompletion. — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Aug. 2026 His runs in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert produced sonic booms that shook the nearby town of Gerlach. — ABC News, 10 Aug. 2026 On several occasions, Elkins shook off severe cuts and knockdowns to win. — Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026 The back-to-back quakes that shook Venezuela in June and left more than 6,000 people dead each had a magnitude above 7. — Chantelle Lee, Time, 10 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shook
  1. jerked
  2. avoided
  3. shuddered
  4. evaded
  5. quivered
  6. escaped
  7. vibrated
Verb
  • But in 1933, within a matter of days, they were jerked back into reality.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Once the squid gather near the surface, lines fitted with bait are lowered into the water and rapidly jerked up and down to imitate small prey such as shrimp, triggering strikes before the catch is reeled aboard.
    — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 20 June 2026
Definition of jerked
Verb
  • In Minneapolis and New Orleans, CNN found once-bustling shops and restaurants growing quiet during federal immigration operations as some immigrants avoided work and parents kept children home from school.
    — Maria Santana, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Those have avoided injuries to key players that can demoralize a team and affect a season.
    — Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of avoided
Verb
  • On Thursday, Clancy loudly sobbed, shuddered and covered her face with her hands as a medical examiner testified about Callan’s autopsy.
    — Andi Babineau, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2026
  • The way the stadium shuddered with noise.
    — Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 7 May 2026
Definition of shuddered
Verb
  • In the foreseeable future, a terrorist group with minimal skills could access a jailbroken AI model (one that has evaded safety controls) trained on the world’s most comprehensive biological data set.
    — Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Police said Jackson was driving recklessly and evaded a Muscatine County Sheriff's Office deputy who attempted to stop his vehicle Friday evening in Muscatine.
    — Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of evaded
Verb
  • Each time, brown leaves that had drifted from distant trees quivered and spun on the surface.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 June 2026
  • Her papers quivered in her hand.
    — Tanya Babbar, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 June 2026
Definition of quivered
Verb
  • On the play Dart returned, the QB escaped the pocket before finding Fields in the end zone for a leaping touchdown grab.
    — Charlotte Carroll, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2026
  • And Above Ground includes poems to his children about what their ancestors endured and escaped.
    — Terry Gross, NPR, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of escaped
Verb
  • Phones across the Pirriwee Peninsula vibrated ecstatically with the ping-ping-ping of parent WhatsApp group notifications.
    — Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Inside Lee Arena, a palpable energy vibrated through the crowd.
    — Latif Love July 23, Kansas City Star, 23 July 2026
Definition of vibrated

Browse Nearby Words

shoo-ins
shook
shook a leg
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Cite this Entry

“Shook.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shook. Accessed 21 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of shook for Spanish Speakers

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