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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shake-up
Arietta Hallock, Bon Appetit Magazine, 2 July 2025
With few election shake-ups last fall, lawmakers returned to a legislature with little change in the status quo.
—Melissa Brown, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
Christopher Kuhagen, jsonline.com, 8 July 2025
An activist investment partnership just scored a victory in its effort to shake up a struggling Idaho french-fry maker.
—Angela Palermo, Idaho Statesman, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for shake-up
Verb
Savory shake-ups of common breakfast aisle items caught me pleasantly by surprise.
—Arietta Hallock, Bon Appetit Magazine, 2 July 2025
With few election shake-ups last fall, lawmakers returned to a legislature with little change in the status quo.
—Melissa Brown, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
Noun
Ortega's sudden exit shook up the villa as the season enters its final days.
—Christopher Kuhagen, jsonline.com, 8 July 2025
An activist investment partnership just scored a victory in its effort to shake up a struggling Idaho french-fry maker.
—Angela Palermo, Idaho Statesman, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for shake-up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shake-up
Verb
-
Dangerous enough to raise the stakes, but not too gruesome to shock young viewers.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Variety,
5 July 2025
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There have been nearly 2,000 episodes of the Real Housewives franchise at this point, so for these women to still find new ways to shock me is beyond remarkable.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
3 July 2025
Noun
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So, whether Amazon’s AI jobs shakeout turns out to be a painful retrenching, a gradual recalibration, or something else entirely, recent history seems to suggest the company, if nothing else, has the right man for the job.—
Jason Del Rey,
Fortune,
17 June 2025
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Palace, sitting at the bottom of the Women’s Super League (WSL) table, were the perfect confidence-boosting shakeout as Chelsea won 4-0.—
Tamerra Griffin,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The day after Wayfarer announced its shutdown, police arrested a suspect in the arson and blackmail incidents: Eduardo Aragon, 26; he has been charged with 13 criminal counts of arson, intimidation and harassment.—
Monica Hunter-Hart,
Forbes.com,
4 July 2025
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The shutdown of the website comes after the Trump administration also took down another site, climate.gov, which had been maintained by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.—
IAN JAMES AND NOAH HAGGERTY LOS ANGELES TIMES,
Arkansas Online,
2 July 2025
Verb
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Spielberg imagined it as a noise that has the power to appall.—
David Denby,
Vulture,
3 July 2025
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Still, there is plenty here that should appall both Democrats and Republicans.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The storm delivered around two months' worth of rain to Chapel Hill, Durham, and the surrounding area, closing roads, stranding residents and causing wide flooding.—
Hannah Parry
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 July 2025
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Management announced nothing about the closing on social media or on the locked front doors at the restaurant, across from the Walmart Supercenter off Interstate 77/N.C. 150, Exit 36.—
Joe Marusak
July 7,
Charlotte Observer,
7 July 2025
Verb
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The Princess of Wales also stunned in a gold cape dress for the No Time to Die James Bond premiere in 2021 and for a 2023 State Visit by the South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol.—
Jack Royston,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 July 2025
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Meta Platforms, under the leadership of CEO Mark Zuckerberg, has ignited a fierce battle for artificial intelligence (AI) talent, offering compensation packages that have stunned Silicon Valley and the global tech industry.—
Ashley Lutz,
Fortune,
11 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shake-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shake-up. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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