as in shocked
to cause an unpleasant surprise for
the news that we had failed the auto inspection shook us up
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of shaken up
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
Jennings was shaken up on the play.
—CBS News, 18 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
In less than a year, Kennedy has bulldozed vaccine policy precedent and shaken up government personnel.
—Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 5 Jan. 2026
Fogliato, who has shaken up the leadership team with new hires, knew there were challenges and saw the company getting smaller and more targeted.
—Brian Womack, Dallas Morning News, 4 Jan. 2026
The Giants' rookie was one of the team's bright spots alongside young quarterback Jaxson Dart, who clearly was shaken up after seeing his friend and teammate go down.
—Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2025
The Dancing With the Stars leaderboard has officially shaken up.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Oct. 2025
Cincinnati's burger landscape is being shaken up once again.
—Kaycee Sloan, Cincinnati Enquirer, 20 Oct. 2025
Weilun Soon Bloomberg, Arkansas Online, 21 Jan. 2026
Jennings was shaken up on the play.
—CBS News, 18 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
In less than a year, Kennedy has bulldozed vaccine policy precedent and shaken up government personnel.
—Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 5 Jan. 2026
Fogliato, who has shaken up the leadership team with new hires, knew there were challenges and saw the company getting smaller and more targeted.
—Brian Womack, Dallas Morning News, 4 Jan. 2026
The Giants' rookie was one of the team's bright spots alongside young quarterback Jaxson Dart, who clearly was shaken up after seeing his friend and teammate go down.
—Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2025
The Dancing With the Stars leaderboard has officially shaken up.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Oct. 2025
Cincinnati's burger landscape is being shaken up once again.
—Kaycee Sloan, Cincinnati Enquirer, 20 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shaken up
Verb
-
And honestly, would you be shocked if this administration tried to make its dream a reality?—
Gustavo Arellano,
Mercury News,
14 Jan. 2026
-
Christopher Parente wasn't shocked to learn that a federal immigration agent had shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Good in her car in Minneapolis.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
And my father—lovable but imposing, a strapping six feet three inches tall with a thick, bristly mustache and a rumbling Sergeant Schultz accent that frightened my friends half to death—loved to tell stories.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
5 Dec. 2025
-
Fortune had reported in its investigation that people within the agency were frightened of examining Boring Company after two staffers who worked on the case had been disciplined.—
Jessica Mathews,
Fortune,
20 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
What really scared me was telling my audience.—
SELF Staff,
SELF,
9 Jan. 2026
-
That caption scared me for a minute.—
Stacy Lambe,
PEOPLE,
9 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shaken up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shaken%20up. Accessed 22 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
