shaking

shaking — noun

1. the quick back-and-forth or up-and-down movement of a person's body, an object,

1.nounB1
Definition

the quick back-and-forth or up-and-down movement of a person's body, an object, or the ground, often happening without control or as a reaction to something

Example

The shaking of the ground during the earthquake sent bookshelves crashing to the floor.

the shaking of the ground — natural disaster context

Lan tried to hide the shaking in her hands by keeping them under the table.

shaking in [body part] — involuntary trembling

Common collocations
  • violent shaking
  • gentle shaking
  • slight shaking
  • constant shaking
  • uncontrollable shaking
  • ground shaking
  • body shaking
  • hand shaking
  • voice shaking
Synonyms
  • trembling

    more specific to body movement caused by fear, cold, or weakness

  • vibration

    more regular, mechanical back-and-forth movement; often used for machines or the ground

  • quivering

    a lighter, faster, less forceful form of shaking, often emotional

  • shuddering

    a stronger, more violent whole-body shaking, often from fear or disgust

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

a/the shaking of [noun]

a shaking in [body part]

give [noun] a shaking

feel a shaking

Usage Note

Uncountable use is more common (e.g., 'The shaking stopped after a few minutes'), but 'a shaking' is also possible when referring to a single instance (e.g., 'Give it a good shaking'). For body parts, the pattern 'shaking in + body part' is natural and common.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Shaking is the most general term for quick, repeated movement from side to side or up and down. Trembling is more specific to the human body and is usually caused by fear, cold, weakness, or strong emotion — it often carries a feeling of vulnerability. Vibration describes a regular, often mechanical movement, such as the vibration of a phone or a washing machine, and is more neutral and technical. Quivering refers to a lighter, faster, less forceful movement, often associated with a person's voice or lips when they are nervous or about to cry. For example: 'The shaking of the old washing machine was so loud that everyone heard it' vs. 'Her voice was quivering as she told the sad story.'

shaking ↗trembling ↗vibration ↗quivering

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • shaking fit
  • shaking sensation
  • fit of shaking

Prepositions

Etymology

GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The noun 'shaking' comes from the Old English verb 'sceacan', meaning 'to move quickly to and fro'. It has Germanic relatives such as the German 'schütteln' (to shake). The noun form developed naturally from the verb, first appearing in written English around the 1300s to describe both physical movements and trembling caused by emotion or illness.