Meaning
- Shake off means to free yourself from something unwanted, unpleasant, or harmful. It can refer to both physical and non-physical things, such as shaking off dirt, illness, stress, or bad habits.
Grammar and Usage
- Part of speech: Phrasal verb (transitive).
- Pattern: shake off + noun
- Used when someone successfully gets rid of or recovers from something negative.
Examples of patterns:
- "shake off a cold"
- "shake off fear"
- "shake off bad memories"
Common Phrases
- shake off a cold
- shake off the dust
- shake off sleepiness
- shake off one’s pursuers
- shake off the past
Collocations
- Verb + noun: shake off fatigue, shake off tension, shake off problems
- Noun + verb: worries shake off, doubts shake off
Examples
- She tried to shake off her nervousness before the interview.
- He managed to shake off the flu after a week of rest.
- The runner quickly shook off his competitors and took the lead.
- I can’t seem to shake off this feeling of sadness.
- He left the city to shake off his troubled past.
- After a quick shower, she finally shook off her sleepiness.
- The dog tried to shake off the water after a bath.
- Meditation helps me shake off stress at the end of the day.
Synonyms or Related
- get rid of
- overcome
- throw off
- recover from
- cast off
Antonym
- cling to
- hold on to
- keep