They dance in circles to communicate a short distance, and shake their bodies and dart back and forth to indicate a longer distance.
Source: tatoeba (18761)
Shake
/ˈʃeɪk/
Synonyms for "shake" (728 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (146)
Noun(5 words)
abandonabateaccostaddressaffrightageagitateagitatingagitationalarmalcoholic drinkall-oversanthemaphoniaappallartificial voiceasphaltassaultattenuateavoid
Show 117 more words
aweballadbe coldbeambearbear uponbeatbeat upbeatingbebungbegbeveragebid good daybid good morningbilkbilletblackmailbluntboardboardingbobbobbleboostbotherbouncebow tobowl downbowl overbrandishbreak inbreak the habitbreathbreathingbrickbroken speechbroken tonesbroken voicebrush offbuckbullbulldozebumpbump againstbuntbuttbutt againstcareencarolchantchattercheat the undertakerchildish treblechillchirpchirrupchoirchoked voicechoruschurnchurn upcircumventclapboardclogcogglecombconcreteconcussconditionconfoundconfuseconvulsecordcordwoodcoupcowercrackcracked voicecramcrampcripplecroakcrooncrowcrowdcrushcurdle the bloodcurtsydamagedampdampendancedangledashdauntdeadendealdebilitatedebugdeclinedelirium tremensdemoralizedescantdeterdevitalizedidderdigdisaffectdisappointdisarrangediscarddiscombobulatediscomfitdiscomposedisconcertdiscontinuediscouragedisenchant
Adjective(1 words)
Strong matches (218)
disheartendislodgedismaydisorderdisplaydisquietdistressdisturbditchditherdo-re-midodderdoubledrawldriftwooddrinkdrinkabledrivedropdull
Show 167 more words
dysarthriadyslaliadyslogiadysphasiadysphoniadysphrasiaearthquakeelbowelectrifyeludeenervateenfeebleescapeevadeeviscerateexactexchange greetingsexciteexhaustexhibitextenuatefacefadefailfalsettofalterfazefermentfidgetfirewoodflapflashflauntflickerflip outflitflitterfloatflopflourishfluctuateflurryflusterflutterflyfootforcefox trotfox-trotfreak outfreak out onfreezefreeze to deathfretfrightfrightenfrostedfrosted shakefunkfussget alongget aroundget awayget away fromget high onget onget out ofget rid ofget togive upglassglazeglowgo pitapatgoadgougegreetgrimacegrindgrow coldgrow oldgruelgyrategyrationhailhalf a jiffyhalf a mohalf a secondhalf a shakehalthandlehardwoodharmharshnesshave a chillhave an aguehave goose pimpleshave the fidgetshave the shakeshawking voiceheavehisshoarsenesshold uphoofhophorrifyhorripilatehumhurtlehustlehymnidioglossiaidiolaliaimpactimpairimpairment of speechinstantintonateintonejabjactitatejamjarjarringjerkjiffjiffyjigjiggetjigglejimjamsjogjogglejoltjoltingjostlejouncejumpjumpskickkisskiss handsknock downlathlathinglathworklay lowleave no stone unturnedleave offlibratelift the hatliltlimpliquidliquorlisplispingloglook all overlook everywhereloselose heatloss of voicelumberlurchmake one tremble
Noun(20 words)
Related words (364)
maltmaterialmicrosecondmillisecondminceminstrelminutemitigatemix upmomentmuzzy speechnasal tonenasalizationnodnod tonudgenutateoscillateoutwitoverawe
Show 280 more words
overcomepaddlepalpitatepalpitationpanelboardpanelingpanelworkpantpaperparadependulateperish with coldperplexperturbperturbatepile drivepinchpipepitapatpitchpitter patterpitter-patterplankplankingplyboardplywoodpokepolepoppostpotablepotationprancepressprodprostrateprovepsalmpsych outpull the forelockpulsatepumppunchpuncheonpushpuzzlequailquakequakerquakingquaverquiverquiveringrackraise apprehensionsrakeramram downransackrattlerecoilreducereelresonaterevetrictusriflerileripplerockroilrollroughenrouladerufflerummagerumplerunrun againstsalutesapsay helloscarescoursearch high heavensecsecondserenadeshake all overshake downshake handsshake offshake upshakingsheathesheathingsheathing boardsheetingshimmyshingleshivershiveringshiversshockshouldershoveshow offshrivelshuddershudderingshuffleshuffle out ofsibilationsideboardsidingsingsing in chorussinkskipskirtslabslatslateslipsodasoda popsoda watersoft drinksoften upsoftwoodsol fasol-fasolmizatespeech defectspeech impedimentsplatsplit secondsplutterspooksprinklesputtersqueezesquirmstaggerstartlestavestickstick of woodstirstir upstirring upstonestopstovewoodstressstrokestunswagswayswear offswellswell with emotionswingswirltake abacktake the edge offtalk incoherentlytamptap-danceteetertemblortestthatchthe shakesthirst quencherthreatenthree-by-fourthrillthrill tothrobthrow offthrustticticktiletimbertimberingtimberworktingletingle with excitementtonictosstoss and turntottertouch the hattrembletremblingtremolandotremolanttremolotremortremorstricetrilltrillettrilletotrillotriptrolltroubletumbleturn grayturn inside outturn onturn on toturn upside downturn whitetwangtweedletweedledeetwinktwinkletwinklingtwist and turntwittwitchtwittertwo shakestwo-by-fourunbraceuncoverundermineundoundulateunmanunnerveunsettleunstrengthenunstringupsetvacillatevauntveneervibratevibratovocalizewagwagglewall inwall upwallpaperwaltzwanewarblewaste awaywavewaverwaveringweakenweatherboardwhipwhip upwhiskwhistlewieldwigglewigwagwillieswinkwitherwizenwobblewobblingwoodwork upworrywrigglewrinklewritheyodel
Noun(33 words)
Verb(30 words)
Adjective(1 words)
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: shiver, tremble, abandon, abate, accost.
- Sentence evidence is available for shake, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wordnet, opengloss, moby, derived_reverse, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "shake".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "shake"
Keep "shake" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "shake" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "shake", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "shake" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
45 entriesShowing 16 of 45 words.
More specific
13 entriesCollocations
11 entrieschocolate shakegentle shakeground shakehandshakemild shakemilkshake flavorrhythmic shakeseismic shakestrawberry shakevanilla shakeviolent shake
Inflections
4 entriesDerivations
11 entriessimilar
3 entriesTranslations
16 translations across 14 languages.
Armenian
2 entries- թափ տալ verb (to move one's head from side to side)
- թափահարել verb (to move one's head from side to side)
Azerbaijani
1 entries- bulamaq verb (to move one's head from side to side)
Bulgarian
1 entries- клатя verb (to move one's head from side to side)
Dutch
1 entries- schudden verb (to move one's head from side to side)
Finnish
1 entries- pudistaa verb (to move one's head from side to side)
French
1 entries- secouer verb (to move one's head from side to side)
Georgian
1 entries- გაქნევა verb (to move one's head from side to side)
German
1 entries- schütteln verb (to move one's head from side to side)
Italian
1 entries- scuotere la testa verb (to move one's head from side to side)
Khmer
1 entries- ធ្វើក្បាលងីងើ verb (to move one's head from side to side)
Norwegian
1 entries- riste verb (to move one's head from side to side)
Norwegian Bokmål
1 entries- ryste verb (to move one's head from side to side)
Portuguese
2 entries- abanar verb (to move one's head from side to side)
- sacudir a cabeça verb (to move one's head from side to side)
Swedish
1 entries- skaka (på) verb (to move one's head from side to side)
Sample sentences
39 total sentences available.
We felt the house shake.
Source: tatoeba (23088)
Feeling the house shake, I ran out into the street.
Source: tatoeba (24272)
Feeling the house shake, I ran outside.
Source: tatoeba (24273)
Showing 4 of 39 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "shake"?
Closest matches include shiver, tremble, abandon, abate, accost.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "shake"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.