shook

Shook is the simple past tense of the verb to shake; the corresponding past participle is shaken. It describes an action in which something moves rapidly back and forth or experiences a tremor. For example, “The ground shook during the earthquake” or “She shook the bottle before opening it.” Shook also appears in various phrasal verb constructions built from shake, such as shake up or shake off.

In contemporary informal English, shook has an additional meaning as an adjective describing someone who is emotionally or mentally unsettled or astonished. This slang usage is common in online culture and media, with phrases like “I’m shook” or “That news left me shook” used to convey surprise, disbelief, or anxiety. It is nonstandard in formal writing and is primarily encountered in casual conversation.

Grammar note: Shook functions as the simple past tense of shake. The past participle is shaken, used in perfect tenses (has shaken, had shaken). As a result, standard sentences state “The chair shook,” while present perfect constructions say “The chair has shaken” (not “has shook”). The irregular verb forms of shake are a classic feature of English.

Etymology: Shake originates from older English and Germanic roots, with shook developing as the irregular past tense form. The broader use of shook as slang appears to derive from the literal sense of trembling and has extended to describe emotional impact in spoken and written discourse.