shake-up

1 of 2

noun

: an act or instance of shaking up
specifically : an extensive and often drastic reorganization

shake up

2 of 2

verb

shook up; shaken up; shaking up; shakes up

transitive verb

1
obsolete : chide, scold
2
: to jar by or as if by a physical shock
the collision shook up both drivers
3
: to effect an extensive and often drastic reorganization of

Examples of shake-up in a Sentence

Verb the news that we had failed the auto inspection shook us up
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
With ravishing Venus charging up your 10th house of authority and career and powerhouse Pluto hovering over your eighth house of intimacy, expect a spicy shake-up in your personal and professional life. Valerie Mesa, People.com, 6 Feb. 2025 Moving up and down again Markets moved higher Tuesday as traders tried to look past President Donald Trump’s latest tariff shake-ups. Michele Luhn, CNBC, 5 Feb. 2025
Verb
Things were bleak in Champaign, where Illinois had become a regular cellar dweller in the Big Ten and wasn’t much of a threat to shake up the conference’s power dynamic. Grace Raynor, The Athletic, 20 Feb. 2025 The other guests, just about all of them privileged and White, are due to get profoundly shaken up. Tom Gliatto, People.com, 15 Feb. 2025 See all Example Sentences for shake-up 

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1847, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1538, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of shake-up was in 1538

Dictionary Entries Near shake-up

Cite this Entry

“Shake-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shake-up. Accessed 23 Feb. 2025.

Kids Definition

shake-up

1 of 2 noun
ˈshā-ˌkəp
: an act or instance of shaking up
especially : a reorganization that has extreme effects
lost their jobs in an office shake-up

shake up

2 of 2 verb
(ˈ)shā-ˈkəp
1
: to jar by or as if by a physical shock
the accident shook up both drivers
the news shook us up
2
: to bring about an extensive reorganization of

More from Merriam-Webster on shake-up

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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