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

True Detective's Cary Joji Fukunaga directed the film, but since Craig's departure and the recent shake-up in proprietorship, no new Bond or Bond director has yet been announced. —Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 5 Mar. 2025

Some background: Artists, record companies and streaming service providers are currently negotiating a major shake-up of the industry with the intention of kickstarting Streaming 2.0. —Bernard Marr, Forbes, 4 Mar. 2025

Verb

The Rise Of TikTok Shops TikTok Shops are shaking up the way people shop. —Mina Elias, Forbes, 4 Mar. 2025

Seeing Trump's report card so far MAJOR HEADLINES DEEP FREEZE – How Trump’s overnight tariffs are already shaking up politics next door. —Fox News, 4 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1847, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1538, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for shake-up

• buttercup
• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup

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