as in to shock
to cause an unpleasant surprise for
the news that we had failed the auto inspection shook us up
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shake up
Bethy Squires, Vulture, 4 May 2026
Cut Lamonte Wade to shake up the clubhouse.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 4 May 2026
Michael Cunningham, AJC.com, 12 Jan. 2026
The Dolphins fired coach Mike McDaniel in the latest NFL shake-up.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shake up
Verb
Having an affair on-camera definitely shook up my life a little bit.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 4 May 2026
Cut Lamonte Wade to shake up the clubhouse.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 4 May 2026
Noun
But the Falcons clearly needed a major shake-up.
—Michael Cunningham, AJC.com, 12 Jan. 2026
The Dolphins fired coach Mike McDaniel in the latest NFL shake-up.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shake up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shake up
Verb
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The father refused and shocked the doctor by going even further.—
Duaa Eldeib,
CNN Money,
8 May 2026
-
McGrath's family was shocked by the results of the 2025 trial.—
Peter D'Abrosca,
FOXNews.com,
8 May 2026
Noun
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Duffy said that as a result of a low-cost carrier like Spirit shutting down, the industry will experience a shakeout where larger carriers that provide better offers and service take complete control.—
Yuliya Talmazan,
NBC news,
2 May 2026
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Things apparently went well on the flight, which was a brief suborbital shakeout cruise.—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
1 May 2026
Verb
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Hiram Crombie is shocked and appalled that Jamie is taking the Trading Post from him and kicking him and the other men off Fraser’s Ridge?—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
10 Apr. 2026
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The proposal appalled the science community and lawmakers.—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The shooting has also intensified calls by conservatives to fully fund DHS through a single bill — blaming Democrats for the shutdown and arguing that splitting apart ICE and Border Patrol funding will only give the minority party leverage.—
Mike Lillis,
The Hill,
28 Apr. 2026
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That means the knock-down, drag-out government shutdown battles that have become a Washington ritual are, in effect, a fight over a little more than a quarter of the federal ledger.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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When the Met Gala honored Gianni Versace in 1997, Salma Hayek stunned in leather and was not shy about showing some skin.—
Alex Apatoff,
PEOPLE,
2 May 2026
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On Friday, some were stunned by news of Herbst’s resignation — including the mayor.—
Susannah Bryan,
Sun Sentinel,
1 May 2026
Noun
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Mikel Arteta has a reputation for seeking control but in the closing stages, that was discarded in the simmering emotion of it all.—
Amy Lawrence,
New York Times,
6 May 2026
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The war and the closing of the Strait of Hormuz have disrupted supply chains and fractured oil availability globally.—
Carole Carlson,
Chicago Tribune,
6 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shake up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shake%20up. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
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