: an act or instance of shaking up
specifically
: an extensive and often drastic reorganization
shook up; shaken up; shaking up; shakes up
2
: to jar by or as if by a physical shock
the collision shook up both drivers
3
: to effect an extensive and often drastic reorganization of
Examples of shake-up in a Sentence
Verb
the news that we had failed the auto inspection shook us up
Recent Examples on the Web
Valerie Mesa, People.com, 6 Feb. 2025
Moving up and down again Markets moved higher Tuesday as traders tried to look past President Donald Trump’s latest tariff shake-ups.
—Michele Luhn, CNBC, 5 Feb. 2025
Christine Clarridge, Axios, 6 Feb. 2025
Just in time for things to hit the fan, the full moon in Leo will shake up your relationship sector on Feb. 11, forcing you to release unhealthy patterns and connections that aren’t serving you.
—Valerie Mesa, People.com, 5 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for shake-up 
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Noun
With ravishing Venus charging up your 10th house of authority and career and powerhouse Pluto hovering over your eighth house of intimacy, expect a spicy shake-up in your personal and professional life.
—Valerie Mesa, People.com, 6 Feb. 2025
Moving up and down again Markets moved higher Tuesday as traders tried to look past President Donald Trump’s latest tariff shake-ups.
—Michele Luhn, CNBC, 5 Feb. 2025
Verb
Zoom in: Here are just a few of our favorite spots shaking up alcohol-free drinks with the same creativity and flair that bars once reserved for their boozy counterparts.
—Christine Clarridge, Axios, 6 Feb. 2025
Just in time for things to hit the fan, the full moon in Leo will shake up your relationship sector on Feb. 11, forcing you to release unhealthy patterns and connections that aren’t serving you.
—Valerie Mesa, People.com, 5 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for shake-up
Dictionary Entries Near shake-up
Cite this Entry
“Shake-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shake-up. Accessed 13 Feb. 2025.
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