shakeout

1 of 2

noun

shake·​out ˈshāk-ˌau̇t 

1

: the failure or retrenchment of a significant number of firms in the economy or a sector or an industry that usually results in a depressed market

2

: a period or process in which the relatively weak or unessential are eliminated

shake out

2 of 2

verb

shook out; shaken out; shaking out; shakes out

intransitive verb

: to prove to be in the end : turn out

wait to see how things shake out

Synonyms

Verb

• prove
• fall out

Examples of shakeout in a Sentence

Verb

after hearing about all the elaborate planning, I can't wait to see how that wedding shakes out

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

So, whether Amazon’s AI jobs shakeout turns out to be a painful retrenching, a gradual recalibration, or something else entirely, recent history seems to suggest the company, if nothing else, has the right man for the job. —Jason Del Rey, Fortune, 17 June 2025

Palace, sitting at the bottom of the Women’s Super League (WSL) table, were the perfect confidence-boosting shakeout as Chelsea won 4-0. —Tamerra Griffin, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2025

Verb

If needed, hang the rug over a fence or railing to shake out loose dirt. —Karen Grossman, Southern Living, 24 June 2025

Since one eight-gram prune contains just over a half a gram of fiber, that’d shake out to around three grams in total. —Caroline Tien, SELF, 24 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1895, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1982, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for shakeout

• roundabout
• runabout
• sauerkraut
• thereabout
• turnabout
• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout