noun
Physical act of shaking something, often with a back-and-forth motion. Can be literal or figurative.
電車の揺さぶりで本が落ちた。
The book fell because of the train's shaking.
強い揺さぶりで目が覚めた。
I woke up from a strong jolt.
noun
shaking up; flustering; rattling
Figurative use: unsettling or disconcerting someone, often to gain an advantage or provoke a reaction.
相手の揺さぶりに動じなかった。
I wasn't fazed by the opponent's attempt to rattle me.
彼の質問は明らかに私への揺さぶりだった。
His question was clearly meant to shake me up.
Noun form of the verb 揺さぶる (yusaburu), which is a compound of 揺る (yuru, 'to shake') and さぶる (saburu, an old verb meaning 'to shake' or 'to sway'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word has been used since at least the Edo period.