Expressions used in Everyday Spoken English in Social and Professional contexts
shake off
shake off
1) to free yourself of something irritating, annoying or prohibitive
- How to MemorizePopularity MediumProfessional MediumSocial
- shake off perceptions/shake off a feeling
- AnalysisWhen you 'shake something off', you free yourself of something irritating, annoying or prohibitive. You could 'shake off' a feeling, a person who is clingy or who won't leave you alone, or other people's opinion of you. 'Shaking' requires movement, so it is implied that the thing you are trying to 'shake off' is difficult to remove. This is a phrasal verb that is sometimes used in professional and social contexts in place of 'get rid of'.
- Social Examples (Basic)
- I can't seem to shake off this cold. I've had it for weeks.
- Maria keeps following me everywhere. I can't seem to shake her off.
- I can't shake off this feeling that someone is watching me.
- Professional Examples (Basic)
- Customers still feel our product is prohibitively expensive. Even with extensive marketing, we can't seem to shake off this perception.
- When people form an opinion of you, it can be hard to shake it off.
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