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

The Kennedy Center shake-up has drawn the most attention as Trump named himself chairman of the institution’s board and installed former administration official Richard Grenell as its president. —Haisten Willis, The Washington Examiner, 8 June 2025

The Sun reported that a long-serving gamekeeper, who is responsible for managing the bird population on the estate, is said to have been let go in a recent staff shake-up, resulting in the shortage. —Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 7 June 2025

Verb

Could the team be open to shaking up the roster more? —Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 June 2025

The latest reports point to Google shaking up the colorways on the Pixel 10 family, but is this a radical change or a refinement of the marketing message? —Ewan Spence, Forbes.com, 7 June 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