shake-up

1 of 2

noun

: 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

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
Someone who’s part of the old regime is the wrong choice for delivering the jarring shake-up required. Shawn Tully, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2024 Charlotte’s changing grocery store scene Store expansions continue to shake-up where Charlotte supermarket customers shop. Catherine Muccigrosso, Charlotte Observer, 1 Apr. 2024 The hiring of Suleyman is a key admission that something wasn’t working out with the Windows and AI shake-up from six months ago. Tom Warren, The Verge, 28 Mar. 2024 The political shake-up addressed widespread international pressure as well as broad apathy and discontent with the Palestinian Authority, which was set up after the 1993 Oslo accords to administer the Palestinian territories. Adam Taylor, Washington Post, 28 Mar. 2024 The settlement followed a conspicuous leadership shake-up at the district. J. Edward Moreno, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2024 Related The decision to raise Tak to co-CEO is SM Entertainment’s latest move to restructure its corporate governance following a shake-up in 2023 during which Kakao Corp. and Kakao Entertainment took a 40% stake in the company. Glenn Peoples, Billboard, 27 Mar. 2024 Along with that shake-up, Boeing’s head of commercial planes, Stan Deal, is retiring immediately, and its chairman, Larry Kellner, will not stand for reelection. Tori Latham, Robb Report, 25 Mar. 2024 As part of the unexpected leadership shake-up, Amanda Kelso, who has served on the institute’s board of trustees for four years, has been named acting CEO, taking over the reins from Vicente after just two and a half years in the role. Josh Rottenberg, Los Angeles Times, 22 Mar. 2024
Verb
To help shake up perceptions, showcase the mixability of the cognac, and introduce a new, lighter, brighter, fresher visual world for the brand, Hennessy enrolled creative agency Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam. Dominique Fluker, Essence, 8 Apr. 2024 Disney did not respond to a request for comment from Fortune. Billionaire Bill Ackman wants Disney punished for leaks Peltz hopes to shake up a board believed to be too cozy with its CEO. Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 3 Apr. 2024 This is the moment when investors will decide whether to shake up the Disney board by voting to replace one or more of the Burbank entertainment giant’s directors with someone dissatisfied with its performance. Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2024 Gannett, the nation’s largest newspaper chain and considered a bellwether for the industry, is just the latest to shake up its print offerings. Michael Cavna, Washington Post, 16 Mar. 2024 Housing experts expect the deal to shake up the housing market and even drive down home prices across the board. Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 15 Mar. 2024 Bob Iger His antagonist Peltz, a corporate raider who previously led campaigns to shake up PepsiCo, P&G, and Wendy’s, has been agitating for Disney to shift its approach for several years. Andrew R. Chow, TIME, 3 Apr. 2024 With features from some of today’s hottest new Country music stars, Bey shook up the Country status quo and possibly the future of the Country music charts. Rivea Ruff, Essence, 29 Mar. 2024 This discovery that dogs can understand words in a way similar to humans shakes up our views on language’s uniqueness. Scott Travers, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'shake-up.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1847, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1538, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of shake-up was in 1538

Dictionary Entries Near shake-up

Cite this Entry

“Shake-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shake-up. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on shake-up

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