Word
shook
Past tense of 'shake', meaning to move rapidly, or informally, feeling deeply shocked or upset.
Meanings
Past tense of 'shake'; moved quickly and vigorously back and forth or up and down, or caused to tremble.
Feeling extremely surprised, shocked, or upset, often to the point of being speechless or unable to react normally.
Definition
"Shook" is primarily the past tense form of the verb "to shake," indicating that something moved rapidly back and forth or trembled. Informally, it can also be used as an adjective to describe a state of being extremely shocked, surprised, or emotionally disturbed by an event or revelation. This usage implies being so affected that one might be momentarily unable to react.
Examples
- The strong earthquake shook the old house for several minutes.
- He shook the jar to mix the ingredients thoroughly before pouring.
- When I saw the final score, I was completely shook by the outcome.
- They were all shook after seeing the bizarre incident unfold before their eyes.
Common mistake
A common mistake is using "shook" as the past participle instead of "shaken" (e.g., "I have shook" instead of "I have shaken").
More verbs
- analyze To examine something carefully in order to understand it or explain it.
- scrutinize To scrutinize something is to examine it very carefully and in detail.
- affect To affect something is to influence it or cause it to change.
- allude To allude means to mention or suggest something indirectly without saying it clearly.
- elude To elude someone or something is to avoid being caught, understood, or remembered.