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Synonyms

shake off

British  

verb

  1. to remove or be removed with or as if with a quick movement

    she shook off her depression

  2. (tr) to escape from; elude

    they shook off the police

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

shake off Idioms  
  1. Free oneself or get rid of something or someone, as in I've had a hard time shaking off this cold, or She forged ahead, shaking off all the other runners. It is also put as give someone the shake, as in We managed to give our pursuers the shake. The first term dates from the late 1300s; the slangy variant dates from the second half of the 1800s.


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Every artist is expected to either shake off or renovate convention.

From Los Angeles Times

“We seek a new revolution,” he said, “not less important, perhaps, in its consequences than that of 1776—a revolution in letters; a shaking off of the fetters of the mind.”

From The Wall Street Journal

The sector has worked hard to shake off the ups and downs of the pandemic and get rid of less promising drugs, companies and therapeutic targets.

From MarketWatch

The Pacers never looked like shaking off their early season torpor on Monday despite facing a Detroit team missing both Cade Cunningham and Tobias Harris.

From Barron's

There's positives they can take from clinging to a win at Easter Road, and also shaking off a Kilmarnock resurgence to ease to victory.

From BBC