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 or chiefly dialectal shook up; shaking up; shakes up

transitive verb

1

: to upset or frighten (someone) by or as if by a physical shock

The collision shook up the drivers of the two cars.

—often used in passive constructions

I was shaken up by the news.

People were very frightened, cold and shook up by it all.

—Luis Freeman, quoted at birminghammail.co.uk

see also shook up entry 1

2

: to effect an extensive and often drastic rearrangement or reorganization of

… a trend that has shaken up the marketing notions of manufacturers …

—Monsanto Magazine

… the detective force was shaken up …

—Allan Nevins

3

obsolete : to denounce or chide (someone) vehemently

Go apart … and thou shalt hear how he will shake me up.

—William Shakespeare

Synonyms of shake-up

Verb

• shock
• appall
• stun

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

That realignment shake-up also makes Heights and White Settlement Brewer foes in District 4-5A Division I. — Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Sep. 2026

General Hospital has gone through major cast shake-ups over the past few months, including the departures of Nathan Dean, Kirsten Storms, and Bradford Anderson. — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Sep. 2026

Verb

But at the end of last term, Madrid president Florentino Perez turned to him to shake up a side which had failed to win a major trophy for a second successive season. — Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026

That vision quickly gets a lot more ambitious — and a lot more chaotic — as Murdoch and Larry lay out their plans for shaking up the newspaper world. — Lily Brown, PEOPLE, 2 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1847, in the meaning defined above

Verb

circa 1556, in the meaning defined at sense 3

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