as in upset
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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 shook-up
Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 2 May 2026
Reports that Saudi Arabia‘s Public Investment Fund (PIF) will stop financing the LIV Golf Tour shook up the world of sport earlier this week, and these reports were effectively confirmed yesterday afternoon.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 1 May 2026
Netflix co-founder and chairman Reed Hastings, who served as CEO for 25 years and dramatically shook up the entertainment business, is leaving the streaming giant’s board of directors.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 16 Apr. 2026
Investors have grown more bullish on China’s AI sector even since DeepSeek shook up the AI narrative last year.
—Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 13 Apr. 2026
Zuckerberg shook up his company's strategy after the April release of Llama 4, which failed to captivate developers.
—Jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 9 Apr. 2026
Slotkin shies away from answer on 2028 Visiting Iowa used to hold more obvious significance for Democrats before the party shook up the early presidential nominating calendar last cycle, bumping Iowa from its place as the first state to weigh in on the nominations.
—Hannah Fingerhut, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2026
Shelton shook up the lineup before Monday’s game and the Twins (4-6) got some immediate results.
—Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 7 Apr. 2026
The rising style star shook up her glam in the ‘90s, ditching the colorful shade for more neutral tones.
—Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 4 Apr. 2026
Verb
Spirit Airlines, the pioneering discount airline that shook up the budget travel business, is shutting down its operations.
—Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 2 May 2026
Reports that Saudi Arabia‘s Public Investment Fund (PIF) will stop financing the LIV Golf Tour shook up the world of sport earlier this week, and these reports were effectively confirmed yesterday afternoon.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 1 May 2026
Netflix co-founder and chairman Reed Hastings, who served as CEO for 25 years and dramatically shook up the entertainment business, is leaving the streaming giant’s board of directors.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 16 Apr. 2026
Investors have grown more bullish on China’s AI sector even since DeepSeek shook up the AI narrative last year.
—Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 13 Apr. 2026
Zuckerberg shook up his company's strategy after the April release of Llama 4, which failed to captivate developers.
—Jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 9 Apr. 2026
Slotkin shies away from answer on 2028 Visiting Iowa used to hold more obvious significance for Democrats before the party shook up the early presidential nominating calendar last cycle, bumping Iowa from its place as the first state to weigh in on the nominations.
—Hannah Fingerhut, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2026
Shelton shook up the lineup before Monday’s game and the Twins (4-6) got some immediate results.
—Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 7 Apr. 2026
The rising style star shook up her glam in the ‘90s, ditching the colorful shade for more neutral tones.
—Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 4 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shook-up
Adjective
-
Last month, despite Orbán’s formidable, long-standing attempts to rig the legal and electoral systems in his favor, Magyar won, in a stunning upset.—
Andrew Marantz,
New Yorker,
9 May 2026
-
Gunther was upset that Rhodes was taking his screen time.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
In 1997, the businessman shocked diplomats at a black-tie gala by announcing the donation of a staggering $1 billion to the United Nations to benefit programs aiding refugees and children.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
7 May 2026
-
Scott Gordon, chief of water enforcement for EPA’s regional office at the time, toured the site in 2000 and said he was shocked by how the industrial water found its path into the river, sometimes through gullies cut by the flow.—
DYLAN JACKSON,
ABC News,
6 May 2026
Adjective
-
This may explain why Suzanna’s mother is a somewhat indistinct presence in the novel (at least compared with fierce Sylvie)—patient, even serene behind bars, more eager to talk about her daughter’s future than about her own future, let alone her troubled past.—
James Wood,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
More than 10 candidates are competing for insurance commissioner, a high-pressure role overseeing a troubled market.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
Twain was by turns amused and appalled by the histrionics that taint our tellings of history, and by the yawning gaps between myth and reality.—
Sebastian Smee,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
Hiram Crombie is shocked and appalled that Jamie is taking the Trading Post from him and kicking him and the other men off Fraser’s Ridge?—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
If anything, Leeds were more dominant and more aggrieved in the first match than Bournemouth were in the second.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Seemingly, the aggrieved fans have no recourse.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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For 25 years now, whenever ailing sea turtles are stranded and rescued from regional waters (caught in netting, injured by a boat prop or shark attack, accidentally hooked by a fisherman, or stunned by a cold front), they are brought here for care, recuperation, and a second chance at life.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 May 2026
-
Multiple sources told OutKick that UAB administrators were stunned to hear just how troubling some of these allegations were that have been brought forth by players and parents.—
Trey Wallace OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
7 May 2026
Adjective
-
His widow, Erika Kirk, was at this weekend’s dinner, visibly distraught as she was escorted out in her sequined cream dress.—
Michael Scherer,
The Atlantic,
26 Apr. 2026
-
While rescuers searched in vain, distraught relatives of passengers rushed to the ValuJet counter at Miami International.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
21 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Of course, no guest wants to dine at the home of a host whose off-putting etiquette makes everyone feel ill at ease either.—
Alesandra Dubin,
Southern Living,
21 Oct. 2025
-
Both were a byword, too, for male beauty, fully alive to the almost laughable impact of their handsomeness, yet ill at ease, now and then, with their perches on the pedestal.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
18 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shook-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shook-up. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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