as in shocked
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 shaken up
Eric Melcher, a spokesperson with WeGo, said the bus driver was shaken up by the crash and has been interviewed by police.
—
Craig Shoup, Nashville Tennessean, 2 Oct. 2025
Other big stories ➤ David Schweikert's entrance into the Arizona governor's race has shaken up competition for the Republican nomination.
—Lorenzino Estrada, AZCentral.com, 2 Oct. 2025
According to Northern Virginia Magazine, the football team was shaken up when the city of Alexandria moved students around from different high schools, effectively combining three different junior and senior classes.
—Jessica Booth, PEOPLE, 29 Sep. 2025
The incident had also left a mark on the singer after she was shaken up by stalker attempts.
—Stylecaster Editors, StyleCaster, 24 Sep. 2025
If the draft board had shaken up differently, perhaps the group looks a bit better and different.
—Charlotte Observer, 24 Sep. 2025
The Chargers even scored when Chee left the game after being shaken up.
—Martin Henderson, Oc Register, 13 Sep. 2025
The normally staid railroad sector was shaken up last month when Union Pacific announced plans to buy Norfolk Southern for $85 billion, which set off speculation that Berkshire could join the takeover fray.
—Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 25 Aug. 2025
Coco Gauff, the 2023 US Open champion and 2025 Roland Garros winner, has shaken up her coaching team ahead of the US Open.
—Adam Zagoria, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Craig Shoup, Nashville Tennessean, 2 Oct. 2025
Other big stories ➤ David Schweikert's entrance into the Arizona governor's race has shaken up competition for the Republican nomination.
—Lorenzino Estrada, AZCentral.com, 2 Oct. 2025
According to Northern Virginia Magazine, the football team was shaken up when the city of Alexandria moved students around from different high schools, effectively combining three different junior and senior classes.
—Jessica Booth, PEOPLE, 29 Sep. 2025
The incident had also left a mark on the singer after she was shaken up by stalker attempts.
—Stylecaster Editors, StyleCaster, 24 Sep. 2025
If the draft board had shaken up differently, perhaps the group looks a bit better and different.
—Charlotte Observer, 24 Sep. 2025
The Chargers even scored when Chee left the game after being shaken up.
—Martin Henderson, Oc Register, 13 Sep. 2025
The normally staid railroad sector was shaken up last month when Union Pacific announced plans to buy Norfolk Southern for $85 billion, which set off speculation that Berkshire could join the takeover fray.
—Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 25 Aug. 2025
Coco Gauff, the 2023 US Open champion and 2025 Roland Garros winner, has shaken up her coaching team ahead of the US Open.
—Adam Zagoria, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shaken up
Verb
-
The Florida family of a man who was recently was deported to Venezuela despite having TPS at the time said they were shocked by the ruling and afraid they could be detained and deported at any time.—
Syra Ortiz Blanes,
Miami Herald,
4 Oct. 2025
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The case shocked the nation and Gein became a pop culture boogeyman whose crimes inspired numerous horror films, including The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Psycho, and The Silence of the Lambs.—
Katie Mannion,
PEOPLE,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
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There are liberals in media, but the corporations are now either controlled by the right wing or frightened of it.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
20 Sep. 2025
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Family pets, especially dogs, are frightened by the noise and will hide or try to run away.—
Phil Diehl,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 Aug. 2025
Verb
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There are certainly no major factors like physical abuse during our childhood; however, our mother had some psychological problems and showed some anger and paranoia symptoms, which scared us as children and were overt enough that many in our town knew about her.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Mercury News,
25 Sep. 2025
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There are certainly no major factors like physical abuse during our childhood, however, our mother had some psychological problems and showed some anger and paranoia symptoms, which scared us as children and were overt enough that many in our town knew about her.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Denver Post,
25 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shaken up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shaken%20up. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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