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
Valerie Mesa, People.com, 28 June 2025
There is nothing that forces a shake-up and introspection more than an Ashes whitewash, and England turned to one of the biggest figures in women’s cricket history after a woeful winter.
—Paul Newman, New York Times, 28 June 2025
Martha Ross, Mercury News, 18 June 2025
Blake Monroe made her WWE debut earlier this month for the NXT brand as the company continued its tear of free-agent signings, shaking up the pro wrestling landscape.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 20 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for shake-up
Verb
Still, your thoughts and belief systems are about to undergo a shake-up.
—Valerie Mesa, People.com, 28 June 2025
There is nothing that forces a shake-up and introspection more than an Ashes whitewash, and England turned to one of the biggest figures in women’s cricket history after a woeful winter.
—Paul Newman, New York Times, 28 June 2025
Noun
Curiously, the Telegraph also noted that Maines headed the latest communications-team shake up in the aftermath of Harry’s off-the-rails interview with the BBC in early May — an interview that Maines helped arrange, according to reports.
—Martha Ross, Mercury News, 18 June 2025
Blake Monroe made her WWE debut earlier this month for the NXT brand as the company continued its tear of free-agent signings, shaking up the pro wrestling landscape.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 20 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for shake-up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shake-up
Verb
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Dangerous enough to raise the stakes, but not too gruesome to shock young viewers.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Variety,
5 July 2025
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Chen Moonves tells Entertainment Weekly that she was shocked when told who the mystery houseguest was.—
Dalton Ross,
EW.com,
3 July 2025
Noun
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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
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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
Noun
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The day after Wayfarer announced its shutdown, police arrested a suspect in the arson and blackmail incidents: Eduardo Aragon, 26; he has been charged with 13 criminal counts of arson, intimidation and harassment.—
Monica Hunter-Hart,
Forbes.com,
4 July 2025
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The shutdown of the website comes after the Trump administration also took down another site, climate.gov, which had been maintained by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.—
IAN JAMES AND NOAH HAGGERTY LOS ANGELES TIMES,
Arkansas Online,
2 July 2025
Verb
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Spielberg imagined it as a noise that has the power to appall.—
David Denby,
Vulture,
3 July 2025
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Still, there is plenty here that should appall both Democrats and Republicans.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The storm delivered around two months' worth of rain to Chapel Hill, Durham, and the surrounding area, closing roads, stranding residents and causing wide flooding.—
Hannah Parry
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 July 2025
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Management announced nothing about the closing on social media or on the locked front doors at the restaurant, across from the Walmart Supercenter off Interstate 77/N.C. 150, Exit 36.—
Joe Marusak
July 7,
Charlotte Observer,
7 July 2025
Verb
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Unlike games like Super Mario Galaxy, which allow P2 to sort of play along by shooting little stars to stun enemies, Bananza’s version of coop feels extremely robust and changes the entire game.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
1 July 2025
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The rescue pup stunned judges with her brown and blue eyes, speckled fur, and inviting smile.—
Kelli Bender,
People.com,
1 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shake-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shake-up. Accessed 15 Jul. 2025.
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