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

This shake-up came about after NASCAR discovered specific violations in Briscoe's car. —Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 20 Feb. 2025

The filing could represent another shake-up in the It Ends With Us legal and PR battle, which until now has largely been seen as a fight between Lively and Baldoni. —Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 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

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