headshake n the act of turning your head left and right to signify denial or disbelief or bemusement I could tell from their headshakes that they didn't believe me Usage(s) That little headshake at the end was my favorite moment. When Elizabeth's younger sister Margaret started to smile at the Zulus, Elizabeth reproved her with a headshake. Frenchmen examined their handiwork with a national headshake of disbelief. Synonym(s) headshaking