shake

when your body or part of it quivers or trembles involuntarily — a response to fear, nervousness, cold, sickness, or strong emotion, like shivering after being caught in a snowstorm or having unsteady hands before a major presentation.

• tremble

  very similar; slightly more formal, often suggesting finer vibrations

• shiver

  specifically from cold or a sudden chill; repeated short movements

• quiver

  small, light, rapid movements; often of lips, voice, or leaves

to be extremely frightened or nervous about something that is about to happen — a figurative use that does not necessarily involve physical trembling, like saying 'I'm shaking' before a difficult exam or a tense conversation.

• be terrified

  more formal; emphasizes the fear itself rather than the physical reaction

• be petrified

  stronger; suggests being too frightened to move

• be scared stiff

  informal idiom; like 'petrified' but more conversational

• be calm

  the opposite emotional state

a person's voice that sounds wavering and uneven, typically revealing that they feel scared, anxious, deeply sad, or furious — for instance, a voice that breaks while recounting a tragic experience or at a moment of farewell.

• quaver

  more literary or formal; specifically of a voice that trembles

• tremble

  can apply to both body and voice, often interchangeable with 'shake' here

to clasp a person's hand and briefly pump it in a light up-down motion as a customary social gesture of welcome, farewell, or mutual consent — for instance, extending your hand to a new coworker upon introduction.

• clasp hands

  more formal; less common in everyday speech

• greet with a handshake

  more descriptive; less natural as a single verb

a reciprocal social ritual in which each person takes the other's hand and briefly moves it with a slight up-down motion to express a welcome, a farewell, or a completed arrangement — for example, two people meeting for the first time at a conference.

• exchange handshakes

  more formal; describes the same action in a more official context

to confirm an agreement or promise by briefly holding someone's hand and moving it up and down, instead of signing a document or making a formal arrangement

• seal

  more formal; 'seal a deal' implies it is now final and official

• clinch

  informal; 'clinch a deal' suggests successfully completing negotiations

as a signal of disagreement, refusal, disbelief, or sadness, to rotate your head leftwards and rightwards repeatedly

• nod

  opposite movement; nod = yes, shake head = no

• nod

  moving the head up and down to show agreement or understanding

to raise a closed hand and move it back and forth with force, as a strong visual expression of rage or a desire to threaten another person

• brandish

  more formal and literary; suggests waving a weapon rather than a fist

to shock or disturb someone so deeply that they feel upset, worried, or no longer calm and steady inside

• disturb

  milder; suggests interruption of peace rather than deep shock

• shock

  similar intensity; emphasises sudden surprise more than lingering worry

• rattle

  informal; suggests making someone lose composure temporarily

• unsettle

  milder; suggests making someone feel uneasy rather than deeply disturbed

• calm

  to make someone feel peaceful again after disturbance

• reassure

  to comfort someone and remove their worries

to reduce the strength, stability, or certainty of someone's belief, a system, or their self-confidence — for example, weakening someone's trust in a friend or the foundation of a long-held view

• weaken

  more general; can apply to physical objects too

• undermine

  suggests deliberate or gradual damage from below

• erode

  suggests slow, gradual weakening over time

• strengthen

  to make something stronger or more resilient

• reinforce

  to add support to something that might be weakening

to free yourself from something unpleasant or unwanted, such as a cold, a bad habit, someone following you, or a negative feeling

• get rid of

  more general; works for objects, habits, and people

• shed

  more formal; suggests casting off something like a layer or a habit

• escape

  suggests getting away from a pursuer or a situation

• acquire

  to gain or develop something (like a habit or a problem)

• catch

  specifically for illnesses: 'catch a cold' vs 'shake a cold'

uncontrolled trembling of the body that happens when a person is sick, scared, or has had too much alcohol

• tremors

  more formal or medical term

• trembling

  continuous action rather than a condition

• shivering

  specifically from cold, not fear or illness

a sweet, thick cold drink made from milk, ice cream, and added flavours such as fruit or chocolate, mixed until smooth

• milkshake

  full form of the shortened word 'shake'; more common in formal writing

• frappé

  blended iced drink, not always containing ice cream, more common in Greek-style cafes

• smoothie

  thick fruit drink usually made without ice cream, sometimes with yoghurt

a drink that you prepare by mixing protein powder into a liquid, often taken after exercise to help muscles recover

• protein drink

  more descriptive and formal

• recovery shake

  specifically for post-exercise consumption

a thin, rectangular slab of timber that is split from a log and fixed in overlapping rows to form a roof or outer wall

• shingle

  often used interchangeably, though shingles are traditionally sawn and smoother

• cedar shake

  specifies the type of wood most commonly used

• roofing shake

  clarifies the building purpose