SHAKES Synonyms: 124 Similar and Opposite Words

shakes 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of shake

as in shudders

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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as in avoids

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

shakes

2 of 2

noun

plural of shake

as in shivers

a sense of panic or extreme nervousness I get the shakes every time I hear her voice

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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 shakes

Verb

Northwestern forward Nick Martinelli (2) shakes hands with guard Jake West (3) in the second half of a Big Ten Tournament game against Purdue on March, 12, 2026, at the United Center. — Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2026 Then the shuttle appears on screen, the music swells and the room shakes with the tearing, rumbling force of a launch. — Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026 After a few awkward seconds, David steps back over to her, shakes her hand and returns to my side. — Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2026 Whey Protein Shake Protein shakes are popular among those looking to boost their protein intake quickly and easily. — Jillian Kubala, HEALTH, 22 Oct. 2026 When isolated issues in other states occur, even if proved untrue, the intense and repeated national media attention on them shakes voter confidence here at home. — Heather Lamarre, The Conversation, 14 Oct. 2026 Near the corner of Broad Street and Snyder Avenue in South Philadelphia, Shania Bennett shakes hands with a daycare owner. — Dan Snyder, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026 Near the epicenter, the agency estimated an intensity of VIII, classified as severe on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale, which measures how strongly the ground shakes at individual locations. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 9 Oct. 2026 In another video, passengers weep and cry out in distress as the aircraft shakes. — Samy Magdy, Fortune, 30 Sep. 2026

Noun

Organic and build-your-own shakes, gourmet coffee and yerba selections, and artisanal teas and infusions also are offered. — Tanasia Kenney, Charlotte Observer, 23 Oct. 2026 Before presenting a stick to the judges, a worker gave each a couple of good shakes to make sure no leaves fell out. — ABC News, 21 Oct. 2026 For its part, KFC recently unveiled new drinks, including iced coffees and shakes, at Open House, its innovation restaurant in McKinney, Texas. — Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2026 Other menu favorites such as pies, cakes, cookies, breads, sundaes and milkshakes are available, along with the return of mango shakes and slushies, and homemade guava and hot pepper guava jellies. — Kari Barnett, Sun Sentinel, 14 Oct. 2026 Energy drinks and alcohol generally aren’t ideal choices for protein shakes because of their potential health effects. — Carrie Madormo, Verywell Health, 2 Oct. 2026 This year, the menu will add mango shakes and slushies, made with fruit picked over the summer, as well as guava and hot pepper guava jellies. — Connie Ogle october 1, Miami Herald, 1 Oct. 2026 The menu also lists protein shakes, matcha, coffee and smoothies as well as acai bowls, sandwiches and breakfast bowls. — Emma Hall, Sacbee.com, 22 Sep. 2026 Biographers and historians have documented that Stewart suffered from severe psychological trauma, which caused digestive issues, insomnia, nightmares, shakes and sweats. — Ashley Hume , Larry Fink, FOXNews.com, 10 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shakes

Verb

The system shudders a bit and then gets back to normal, like a person stubbing a toe or twisting an ankle faces discomfort and difficulty walking for a while.

— Erik Sherman, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026
The American flag has never been among those Davis shudders to make.

— Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 6 June 2026

Definition of shudders

Verb

Calibrating policy under current conditions is complicated by Warsh's push for a more mercurial Fed that avoids signaling where policy is heading, preferring for markets to take their own signals from incoming data.

— Jeff Cox, CNBC, 27 Oct. 2026
The proportions remain practical, and the overall design avoids some of the visual excesses found elsewhere in the segment.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of avoids

Verb

In a viral video of the aftermath, the robot jerks back and forth to shake the glass off, showering yet more dangerous shards onto the sidewalk.

— Frank Landymore, Futurism, 26 Mar. 2026
Ross’s video does not show if the SUV made contact with him, as the camera angle jerks up to the sky.

— Danya Gainor, CNN Money, 12 Jan. 2026

Definition of jerks

Verb

Neither of those interpretations would be entirely invalid, exactly, and yet The Basics of Philosophy — ironically enough, given its title — mostly evades any such moral didacticism.

— Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2026
Journalists and negotiators follow up when someone evades the point.

— Harvard Business Review, Harvard Business Review, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of evades

Noun

Where most body parts can recover from trauma to some degree, damage to our nerves isn’t granted the same latitude.

— Mike McRae October 21, New Atlas, 22 Oct. 2026
Steven Huefner, deputy director of the Election Law Program at Ohio State University, says poll chaplains might be able to calm the frayed nerves of a voting public that is constantly exposed to divisive rhetoric and news about political violence.

— Deepa Bharath, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of nerves

Verb

The film fairly vibrates with ominous tension even in scenes in which seemingly nothing happens.

— Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
Partita takes a poem that vibrates with political energy and domesticates it, sapping this very famous verse of its revolutionary bite.

— Sam Worley, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026