as in appalls
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 shakes up
But Beijing has done little more than look on as its geopolitical rival shakes up the rules of engagement.
—
John Liu, CNN Money, 4 Mar. 2026
Enter the activity date, which shakes up the routine.
—Malia Griggs, Glamour, 3 Mar. 2026
The win shakes up the Oscars race for supporting actress, which prior to Madigan’s Actor Award victory seemed to be in Taylor’s favor.
—Malia Mendez, Los Angeles Times, 2 Mar. 2026
But a violent incident shakes up her small community.
—Marta Balaga, Variety, 17 Feb. 2026
And family time, in the Bode world, also shakes up the well for inspiration.
—Robert Sullivan, Vogue, 16 Feb. 2026
At the head of the family was Keaton as the family matriarch, Sybil Stone, whose breast cancer diagnosis shakes up their reunion.
—Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 20 Jan. 2026
In the kitchen, her cousin shakes up a few lemon drops as her manager waits for a drink at the granite counter.
—Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 30 Oct. 2025
The actor previews how the show will honor the death of Krause's Bobby Nash — and how that shakes up things amongst the 118 firefighters.
—Patrick Gomez, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Oct. 2025
John Liu, CNN Money, 4 Mar. 2026
Enter the activity date, which shakes up the routine.
—Malia Griggs, Glamour, 3 Mar. 2026
The win shakes up the Oscars race for supporting actress, which prior to Madigan’s Actor Award victory seemed to be in Taylor’s favor.
—Malia Mendez, Los Angeles Times, 2 Mar. 2026
But a violent incident shakes up her small community.
—Marta Balaga, Variety, 17 Feb. 2026
And family time, in the Bode world, also shakes up the well for inspiration.
—Robert Sullivan, Vogue, 16 Feb. 2026
At the head of the family was Keaton as the family matriarch, Sybil Stone, whose breast cancer diagnosis shakes up their reunion.
—Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 20 Jan. 2026
In the kitchen, her cousin shakes up a few lemon drops as her manager waits for a drink at the granite counter.
—Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 30 Oct. 2025
The actor previews how the show will honor the death of Krause's Bobby Nash — and how that shakes up things amongst the 118 firefighters.
—Patrick Gomez, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shakes up
shocks
Verb
-
Historically, Citadel notes, productivity shocks lower marginal costs, expand output, and increase real income, acting as a complement to human labor rather than a strict substitute.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
28 Feb. 2026
-
The scheme shocks their high-strung son Harold (Roberts), whose wife, Neha (Gill), is a local police officer.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
18 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shakes up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shakes%20up. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
