shake off

get rid of someone who is following you

B2

What does "shake sb off" mean?

To shake off something means to succeed — or try to succeed — in getting rid of something that has a hold on you and won't let go easily. It's used for illnesses that linger, negative feelings that keep coming back, unwanted people following you, or a bad reputation that's hard to leave behind. The key idea is effort: whatever you're shaking off is persistent and clinging, not something you can simply ignore. That's why you'll very often see it in negative constructions like 'I just can't shake off this anxiety' — the phrasing signals that the unwanted thing is proving difficult to escape. It works equally well for concrete things like a cold or jet lag, and more abstract things like self-doubt, a slump, or a damaging image.

Examples

How to use it

shake off + noun phrase

The most common pattern — the object (illness, feeling, problem, or person) follows the particle directly when it's a longer noun phrase.

After weeks of training, she finally managed to shake off the slump that had been affecting her performance.

shake + pronoun + off

When the object is a pronoun, it must go between 'shake' and 'off' — placing it after 'off' is always wrong.

This feeling of unease has been following me all day — I just can't shake it off.

shake + noun phrase + off

With shorter noun phrases, separating the verb and particle is also natural and very common in everyday speech.

He shook the jet lag off fairly quickly after a good night's sleep.

can't / couldn't shake off + noun phrase

Negative constructions with modal verbs are especially common and reflect the idea that the unwanted thing is hard to escape.

She'd been in a great mood at the start of the week, but she couldn't shake off the disappointment of missing the promotion.

be shaken off

The passive is occasionally used, particularly when talking about illnesses or pursuers, but the active form is far more common.

The fatigue simply couldn't be shaken off, no matter how much rest he got.

Common Collocations

shake off a coldshake off a feelingshake off fatigueshake off a reputationshake off jet lagshake off anxiety

Common Mistakes

Pronoun placement

When the object is a pronoun like 'it', 'him', or 'them', it must go between 'shake' and 'off'. Placing it after 'off' is ungrammatical in English.

✗ I've been trying to shake off it for weeks.
✓ I've been trying to shake it off for weeks.
Confusing 'shake off' with 'shrug off'

'Shrug off' means to dismiss something as not serious or important — it's about downplaying. 'Shake off' means to actively try to eliminate something that genuinely has a hold on you. Use 'shake off' when the thing is persistent and causing difficulty, not when you're brushing it aside.

✗ He just shrugged off the illness after months of struggling with it.
✓ He finally shook off the illness after months of struggling with it.
Using it to mean 'ignore' or 'dismiss'

'Shake off' implies real effort to get rid of something persistent — it doesn't mean simply deciding something doesn't matter. If you want to say someone dismissed a criticism as unimportant, 'shrug off' or 'brush off' would be more accurate.

✗ She shook off his rude comment and didn't think it was worth worrying about.
✓ She shrugged off his rude comment and didn't think it was worth worrying about.

Usage

This phrasal verb is neutral and works in both spoken and written English. It very commonly appears in negative constructions ('I just can't shake off this feeling'), which reflects the idea that the unwanted thing is difficult or persistent.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does 'shake off' always mean something is difficult to get rid of?

Not always, but this is a very strong tendency. You'll often see it in phrases like 'I just can't shake off' or 'struggling to shake off', which emphasise that the thing is clinging and persistent. Even when someone succeeds ('she finally shook off her nerves'), there's usually an implication that it took effort.

Can I use 'shake off' for people, or just feelings and illnesses?

You can absolutely use it for people — particularly someone who is following you or won't leave you alone. For example, 'He managed to shake off the journalists who had been following him all day' is completely natural. The key idea is the same: someone persistent that you're trying to escape.

Is 'shake it off' the same as the general phrase people use to mean 'move on'?

Yes — 'shake it off' has become a widely used informal expression encouraging someone to stop dwelling on something negative and move forward. It fits this sense of the phrasal verb perfectly, since the implied meaning is 'get rid of that bad feeling'. The phrase became especially well known through its use in pop culture.

What kinds of things can typically be 'shaken off'?

The most common objects are illnesses (a cold, fatigue, jet lag), negative feelings (anxiety, self-doubt, depression, a bad mood), damaging reputations or images, a difficult period (a slump, a losing streak), and unwanted people such as pursuers or followers. What they all have in common is that they're persistent and hard to escape.

Can 'shake off' be used in formal writing, like a report or essay?

It's a neutral phrasal verb that works in both spoken and written English, including journalism and some professional writing. However, in very formal academic writing, a single verb like 'overcome' or 'escape' might be preferred. In most contexts — including news articles and professional emails — 'shake off' is perfectly appropriate.

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