as in to shock
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 shake up
Ari Levy, CNBC, 5 June 2025
And with the expectation of significant movement throughout the league this summer, and the Lakers looking to shake up their roster after back-to-back first-round playoff exits, the next couple of months will be crucial to their quest to improve the roster for the 2025-26 season.
—Khobi Price, Oc Register, 2 June 2025
Oumou Fofana, Essence, 2 June 2025
This off-season could lead to a massive internal shake-up at Red Bull if the team does not win.
—Nelson Espinal, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for shake up
Verb
Since its founding in 2017 by Oculus creator Palmer Luckey, Anduril has been working to shake up the defense contractor space currently dominated by Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman.
—Ari Levy, CNBC, 5 June 2025
And with the expectation of significant movement throughout the league this summer, and the Lakers looking to shake up their roster after back-to-back first-round playoff exits, the next couple of months will be crucial to their quest to improve the roster for the 2025-26 season.
—Khobi Price, Oc Register, 2 June 2025
Noun
Her departure, along with that of fellow host Alex Wagner, came as part of a network-wide shake-up spearheaded by new MSNBC President Rebecca Kutler.
—Oumou Fofana, Essence, 2 June 2025
This off-season could lead to a massive internal shake-up at Red Bull if the team does not win.
—Nelson Espinal, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for shake up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shake up
Verb
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By shocking the crap out of everyone who watched it.—
Hal Rubenstein,
HollywoodReporter,
11 June 2025
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Last season, Forest had a small core of players who almost shocked European football by qualifying for the Champions League.—
Paul Taylor,
New York Times,
11 June 2025
Noun
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That said, the large-cap benchmarks are looking moderately overbought technically — not a bearish condition necessarily, but one that can lead to chop and churn, fatigue and shakeouts over the next little while.—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
9 June 2025
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The Solyndra bankruptcy and the ongoing solar shakeout naturally shadowed the proceedings.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
12 Apr. 2012
Noun
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That would easily replace the supply lost from a total shutdown of the Straits of Hormuz for sixty days.—
Michael Lynch,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2025
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More recently during years of divided government, GOP leaders had to rely on Democrats to approve must-pass funding bills to avoid shutdowns.—
Deirdre Walsh,
NPR,
12 June 2025
Verb
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Still, there is plenty here that should appall both Democrats and Republicans.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Apr. 2025
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Dismay or appall you, sure, but never surprise you.—
Patt Morrison,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Prosecutors and defense attorneys will begin delivering their closing arguments Friday in Read’s second murder trial over the death of her Boston cop boyfriend John O’Keefe.—
Karissa Waddick,
USA Today,
14 June 2025
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After both sides gave their closing arguments Friday morning, Judge Beverly Cannone spent the early afternoon reading jury instructions before alternates were selected and the remaining jurors were sent to the deliberation room.—
Michael Ruiz,
FOXNews.com,
13 June 2025
Verb
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When Anderson heard that his friend was assaulted, the musician was stunned.—
Brenna Ehrlich,
Rolling Stone,
8 June 2025
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Seth Jones scored a goal and an assist, and Dmitry Kulikov and Brad Marchand scored 3:46 apart in the second period to stun the rabid crowd.—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
7 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shake up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shake%20up. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.
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