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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Recent Examples of shake up
Literary Hub, 5 Mar. 2026
Where this all goes, whether ESAs will continue to shake up the education landscape in Iowa, or the tremors will ebb, only the coming years will tell.
—Mike Trautmann, Des Moines Register, 5 Mar. 2026
Kevin Dotson, CNN Money, 5 Jan. 2026
That shake-up was on display within days of starting.
—Brian Womack, Dallas Morning News, 4 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shake up
Verb
The brand new house aims to shake up the old publishing playbook by exploding notions of genre and form, and celebrating the subcultures driving artistic innovation.
—Literary Hub, 5 Mar. 2026
Where this all goes, whether ESAs will continue to shake up the education landscape in Iowa, or the tremors will ebb, only the coming years will tell.
—Mike Trautmann, Des Moines Register, 5 Mar. 2026
Noun
For some teams, that involves a shake-up in the coaching staff and front office.
—Kevin Dotson, CNN Money, 5 Jan. 2026
That shake-up was on display within days of starting.
—Brian Womack, Dallas Morning News, 4 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shake up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shake up
Verb
-
Even the assistants were shocked the red card was shown.—
Ali Rampling,
New York Times,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Uretsky, who moved to Los Angeles from the East Coast about six years ago, said he was initially shocked by the region’s high cost of living.—
Iris Kwok,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
That said, even for the firms that survive this shakeout, making money has become tougher, according to Bain.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Either way, the potential for a shakeout is prompting some to short the market, the Wall Street Journal’s Gregory Zuckerman wrote this week.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The murder appalled the city, and Musa’s family demanded justice.—
Anand Gopal,
New Yorker,
28 Feb. 2026
-
Some Lakes residents are appalled by her solicitation.—
Steve Bousquet,
Sun Sentinel,
28 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The hemp industry went into a tailspin when Congress approved a provision sandwiched in a November funding bill to end the government shutdown.—
Gina Lee Castro,
jsonline.com,
3 Mar. 2026
-
And workers who continue to perform their jobs during the partial shutdown began missing paychecks in recent days.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Simone was stunned by Morris' success.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Ratajkowski stunned while attending the Loewe fashion show on March 6.—
Lauryn Overhultz,
FOXNews.com,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
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In the closing weeks, his campaign poured time and resources into South Texas and Houston, working to blunt Crockett’s advantage among Latino voters.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
4 Mar. 2026
-
While the store was never in danger of closing because of finances, there were signs of distress in the overall business of art supplies.—
Pamela McLoughlin,
Hartford Courant,
4 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shake up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shake%20up. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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