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
Fred Katz, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026
But the race was shook up last month when progressive politician Kim declared her candidacy.
—Los Angeles Times, 21 Feb. 2026
Fiddelke shook up Target’s leadership team effective Sunday, bringing back the role of chief merchant and announcing a high-profile departure.
—Melissa Repko, CNBC, 18 Feb. 2026
Agents Get Their Shut-Eye Before COVID shook up the indie film business, all-night bidding wars were a staple of Sundance.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 27 Jan. 2026
The shooting also shook up the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office, which underwent a flurry of personnel and policy changes.
—Christopher Cann, USA Today, 29 Oct. 2025
The Cleveland Browns shook up the NFL landscape with their headline-making trade of Joe Flacco to the 2-3 Cincinnati Bengals.
—Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025
As one of the original Try Guys members, Fulmer shook up the group and the fanbase when his affair was unearthed.
—Meredith Wilshere, PEOPLE, 27 Sep. 2025
Paltrow shook up the look with her bottoms, trading traditional slacks for a pair of belted capris that fell just below the knee.
—Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 23 Sep. 2025
Verb
Chicago shook up its strategy, pushing him to the sideline with Holmgren’s defender as his own man scrambled in for a double team.
—Fred Katz, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026
But the race was shook up last month when progressive politician Kim declared her candidacy.
—Los Angeles Times, 21 Feb. 2026
Fiddelke shook up Target’s leadership team effective Sunday, bringing back the role of chief merchant and announcing a high-profile departure.
—Melissa Repko, CNBC, 18 Feb. 2026
Agents Get Their Shut-Eye Before COVID shook up the indie film business, all-night bidding wars were a staple of Sundance.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 27 Jan. 2026
The shooting also shook up the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office, which underwent a flurry of personnel and policy changes.
—Christopher Cann, USA Today, 29 Oct. 2025
The Cleveland Browns shook up the NFL landscape with their headline-making trade of Joe Flacco to the 2-3 Cincinnati Bengals.
—Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025
As one of the original Try Guys members, Fulmer shook up the group and the fanbase when his affair was unearthed.
—Meredith Wilshere, PEOPLE, 27 Sep. 2025
Paltrow shook up the look with her bottoms, trading traditional slacks for a pair of belted capris that fell just below the knee.
—Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 23 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shook-up
Adjective
-
Tewksbury looks to avenge both the loss to Canton earlier, and an upset state final loss to Boston Latin in 2024.—
Tom Mulherin,
Boston Herald,
14 Mar. 2026
-
Watching the Chinese Taipei team in tears after an upset win against Korea, and the Japanese fans embracing Czechia’s every grain of success — the moments that made Pool C special were with teams actively growing the game in their country through those brick-by-brick means.—
Maria Torres,
New York Times,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Their parents are shocked to see the couple living their normal lives covered in cameras.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Nobody should be shocked that the expected is now coming to pass.—
Franklin Foer,
The Atlantic,
11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The Van Gogh attribution, for instance, was subsequently matched by more conventional research, including technical analyses and studies of the artist’s letters (museum experts concluded that the portrait’s unusually dampened colors simply reflected Van Gogh’s troubled mental state at the time).—
Oscar Holland,
CNN Money,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Her panel’s core thesis is that historically, in troubled times, people rewrite the rules, build better systems and make things better.—
Ramon Ramirez,
Austin American Statesman,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Undeterred by danger and appalled by hospital conditions, Annie organized the Keokuk Ladies’ Soldiers’ Aid Society (KLAS), serving as its corresponding secretary.—
Hanna Howard,
Des Moines Register,
8 Mar. 2026
-
The murder appalled the city, and Musa’s family demanded justice.—
Anand Gopal,
New Yorker,
28 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
If tweedy free-speech absolutists and their aggrieved students are capable of finding common ground, this will be the issue that unites them.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
5 Mar. 2026
-
As various subplots chugged along toward their combustion point, top dog Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy) and his aggrieved nephew Michael (Finn Cole) had their final stand-off.—
Miriam Balanescu,
IndieWire,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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And how about the 2006 final when Palo Alto stunned Mater Dei 51-47 in Division II in which Jeremy Lin made a 25-foot bank shot from the top of the key.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2026
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Over the weekend, Wall abruptly pulled the plug on his Sunday night performance in Evansville, Indiana, just minutes before he was scheduled to take the stage, leaving concertgoers stunned and worried about the singer’s well-being.—
Stephanie Giang-Paunon,
FOXNews.com,
12 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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While cathartic for a moment, both Claire and Jamie are distraught, thinking that their daughter could have been alive and never knew.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
6 Mar. 2026
-
That’s a lot of people, plus their distraught families.—
Jim Nowlan,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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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 15 Mar. 2026.
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