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
Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 16 May 2026
While Santa Margarita’s boys and girls dominated the team competitions to extend their title streaks, a few Orange County racers shook up the meet.
—Dan Albano, Oc Register, 10 May 2026
Bednar also shook up his lines, moving Landeskog onto the top line with MacKinnon and Martin Nečas.
—Michael Russo, New York Times, 10 May 2026
Posey shook up the roster this week by calling up catching prospect Jesús Rodríguez and top prospect Bryce Eldridge, and the 24-year-old Rodríguez got starts over Bailey on Monday, Tuesday and Friday.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 9 May 2026
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
Verb
McCaughey’s entrance shook up the race in January in what some had expected to be a two-candidate battle between Stewart and Fazio.
—Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 16 May 2026
While Santa Margarita’s boys and girls dominated the team competitions to extend their title streaks, a few Orange County racers shook up the meet.
—Dan Albano, Oc Register, 10 May 2026
Bednar also shook up his lines, moving Landeskog onto the top line with MacKinnon and Martin Nečas.
—Michael Russo, New York Times, 10 May 2026
Posey shook up the roster this week by calling up catching prospect Jesús Rodríguez and top prospect Bryce Eldridge, and the 24-year-old Rodríguez got starts over Bailey on Monday, Tuesday and Friday.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 9 May 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shook-up
Adjective
-
If the Cavaliers pull the Game 7 upset, Game 1 will play out at Madison Square Garden.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
16 May 2026
-
Away to a Newcastle team that has won just one of their last six league matches and has little to play for at this stage of a disappointing season, there could be an opportunity for West Ham to cause an upset.—
Graham Ruthven,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
An Alsip man who drove past Evergreen Park High School at 58 mph and then increased his speed to 75 mph was shocked with a Taser during the traffic stop after releasing a dog from the car and struggling with officers, police said.—
Dennis Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
13 May 2026
-
In 1959, Levi was shocked to receive a letter informing him that a German publisher by the name of Fischer had just acquired the translation rights to If This Is a Man.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 May 2026
Adjective
-
Rotterdam, Netherlands — The cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak has docked at the Dutch port of Rotterdam for disinfection, wrapping up a troubled journey that put international health authorities on alert.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
18 May 2026
-
New owners run into the messy realities of unexpected occupants, legal complications and economic challenges that can keep the troubled parcels stuck in limbo and drag down surrounding neighborhoods.—
Graham Womack
May 18,
Sacbee.com,
18 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
-
As nonviolent avenues close, aggrieved civilians become more receptive to Baloch militants’ recruitment narratives.—
Amira Jadoon,
The Conversation,
13 May 2026
-
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
Verb
-
One of the officials, who works in cybersecurity, was stunned by her remark; his office’s previous work with CISA and federal law enforcement involved reporting death threats against elections officials and cyber risks.—
Shane Harris,
The Atlantic,
14 May 2026
-
Celebrini, the top pick in the 2024 NHL draft, was at the 2025 tournament on a team that included Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon, but the Canadians were stunned 2-1 by Denmark in the quarterfinals.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 May 2026
Adjective
-
The actor and hair stylist, who met Weinstein in her twenties while trying to make it as an actor in Hollywood, spent five days on the stand, frequently becoming distraught while divulging deeply personal details about her life and four-year relationship with Weinstein.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
13 May 2026
-
Cho's sister Anny, who was too distraught to appear on camera, told CBS News Chicago that her brother worked primarily in finance but worked for Uber on the side.—
Sara Tenenbaum,
CBS News,
11 May 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 19 May. 2026.
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