: an act or instance of shaking up
specifically
: an extensive and often drastic reorganization
shook up; shaken up; shaking up; shakes up
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
Dalton Ross, EW.com, 15 May 2025
UnitedHealth Group announced a new CEO, a surprising shake-up as the company navigates the aftermath of UnitedHealthcare leader Brian Thompson’s killing.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 14 May 2025
Kim Hjelmgaard, USA Today, 15 May 2025
The series loss shook up the top of the polls, with LSU moving up three places to No. 1 in the USA Today coaches poll for the first time this season and the Razorbacks dropping three spots to No. 5.
—Tom Murphy, Arkansas Online, 13 May 2025
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Noun
Survivor: Marquesas An underrated season that saw the first totem pole shake-up: where people on the bottom got together to overthrow those on the top.
—Dalton Ross, EW.com, 15 May 2025
UnitedHealth Group announced a new CEO, a surprising shake-up as the company navigates the aftermath of UnitedHealthcare leader Brian Thompson’s killing.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 14 May 2025
Verb
He's shaken up Washington and defied many of the rules that have long guided the global order.
—Kim Hjelmgaard, USA Today, 15 May 2025
The series loss shook up the top of the polls, with LSU moving up three places to No. 1 in the USA Today coaches poll for the first time this season and the Razorbacks dropping three spots to No. 5.
—Tom Murphy, Arkansas Online, 13 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for shake-up
Cite this Entry
“Shake-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shake-up. Accessed 21 May. 2025.
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