shake-up

1 of 2

noun

ˈshāk-ˌəp 

: 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

Synonyms

Verb

• appall
• appal
• floor
• jolt
• shock

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

Noun

Amazon has just announced four new Kindles in an unprecedented shake-up of its ebook readers and in the 24 hours that have followed, new details have emerged. —David Phelan, Forbes, 18 Oct. 2024

Management shake-ups On Thursday, Stellantis announced a new round of executive changes, with the global head of Jeep, Antonio Filosa, adding responsibility for the North American region to his duties. —Eric D. Lawrence, Detroit Free Press, 12 Oct. 2024

Verb

More news to know now Two SSI checks are coming in November, but none in December. From Texas to Maryland, these longshot Senate races could shake up Congress. —Nicole Fallert, USA TODAY, 17 Oct. 2024

But recent revelations about Rubio’s driving record — as well as Gonzalez’s, to a much lesser extent — have shaken up the race. —Claire Rush, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1847, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1538, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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