shake on it

verb

To agree by shaking hands; to close a deal.

“Let's shake on it!”

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Meanings

verbshake on it (third-person singular simple present shakes on it, present participle shaking on it, simple past shook on it, past participle shaken on it)

present singular third person shakes on it · participle present shaking on it · past shook on it · participle past shaken on it

  1. informalTo agree by shaking hands; to close a deal.

    Let's shake on it!

    2 more examples

    I'll bring the contract tomorrow, and if everything looks good, we'll shake on it.

    Often when two persons make a bargain they at its conclusion “Shake hands on it” to make it binding.

    1896, Clifton Johnson, “Odds”, in What They Say in New England (non-fiction), Boston, Massachusetts, United States: Lee and Shepard Publishers, page 63

Origin

Refers to the use of a handshake to confirm an agreement.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

shake on it. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shake%20on%20it

MLA

“shake on it.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shake%20on%20it. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “shake on it,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shake%20on%20it.

Source: shake on it on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.