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
The North Texas economy is poised to get shaken up by new technology, a prominent economist says.
—
Trevor Bach, Dallas Morning News, 3 Mar. 2026
As such, the ensemble gets shaken up with each new season.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Feb. 2026
Worries over how artificial intelligence may disrupt software companies have shaken up those stocks, and Citi says some of them may be ripe for a rebound.
—Davis Giangiulio, CNBC, 16 Feb. 2026
That included roughly two years ago after Duke’s loss at Wake Forest, when Blue Devils player Kyle Filipowski was shaken up after a Demon Deacons fan collided with him, while Jared McCain’s exit to the tunnel was briefly blocked by a Wake Forest fan.
—Aaron Beard, Chicago Tribune, 8 Feb. 2026
The accidental shooting left parents, staff and students shaken up.
—Jt Moodee Lockman, CBS News, 5 Feb. 2026
But the mayor of the state’s third-largest city has shaken up the most wide-open California governor’s race in decades.
—Grace Hase, Mercury News, 1 Feb. 2026
The shipping market is being shaken up by the intervention, with freight rates surging for some routes.
—Weilun Soon Bloomberg, Arkansas Online, 21 Jan. 2026
Burt, a delightful and spirited 69-year-old street musician with Parkinson’s has his daily life shaken up when, Sammy, a wayward young man from New York shows up claiming to be his son.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 6 Jan. 2026
Trevor Bach, Dallas Morning News, 3 Mar. 2026
As such, the ensemble gets shaken up with each new season.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Feb. 2026
Worries over how artificial intelligence may disrupt software companies have shaken up those stocks, and Citi says some of them may be ripe for a rebound.
—Davis Giangiulio, CNBC, 16 Feb. 2026
That included roughly two years ago after Duke’s loss at Wake Forest, when Blue Devils player Kyle Filipowski was shaken up after a Demon Deacons fan collided with him, while Jared McCain’s exit to the tunnel was briefly blocked by a Wake Forest fan.
—Aaron Beard, Chicago Tribune, 8 Feb. 2026
The accidental shooting left parents, staff and students shaken up.
—Jt Moodee Lockman, CBS News, 5 Feb. 2026
But the mayor of the state’s third-largest city has shaken up the most wide-open California governor’s race in decades.
—Grace Hase, Mercury News, 1 Feb. 2026
The shipping market is being shaken up by the intervention, with freight rates surging for some routes.
—Weilun Soon Bloomberg, Arkansas Online, 21 Jan. 2026
Burt, a delightful and spirited 69-year-old street musician with Parkinson’s has his daily life shaken up when, Sammy, a wayward young man from New York shows up claiming to be his son.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 6 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shaken up
Verb
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Although, clearly, no one would be shocked if the Metallica ends up adding many more dates.—
Jim Harrington,
Mercury News,
25 Feb. 2026
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In fact, they were deeply shocked by one particular article, which seemed to imply that microplastics being deep inside the very structure of human bones was a bad thing.—
Stephanie Redmond,
New Yorker,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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That habit didn’t endear the Alspaws to anyone nearby, including one neighbor who threatened to shoot Brittany after the Alspaws frightened his horses.—
Tessa Stuart,
Rolling Stone,
17 Feb. 2026
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Konstantin, 4, a sociable boy, is often frightened by loud noises and guards, his parents said.—
Mike Hixenbaugh,
NBC news,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The small surface area here was full of challenges, none of which scared Hélène Lacombe for a second.—
Nicolas Milon,
Architectural Digest,
24 Feb. 2026
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Meridian Police Chief Tracy Basterrechea said during a press conference shortly after the incident that responding agencies apparently scared off the suspect before the accelerant was ignited.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
24 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shaken up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shaken%20up. Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.
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