to shake or agitate in order to mix
to reorganize drastically
to stir or rouse
to restore the shape of (a pillow, cushion, etc)
informal to disturb or shock mentally or physically
Agitate in order to mix or loosen, as in This cough medicine needs to be thoroughly shaken up , or Please shake up these pillows .
Upset greatly, as in Even though no one was hurt, he was greatly shaken up by the accident . This usage alludes to being agitated like a liquid being shaken. Also see all shook up . [Late 1800s]
Subject to drastic rearrangement or reorganization, as in New management was bent on shaking up each division .
First recorded in 1900–05; noun use of verb phrase shake up
A shake-up is a major change or upheaval. If there's a shake-up on your soccer team, you might suddenly find yourself playing midfield instead of your usual position defending the goal. Whenever there's reorganization at a company, especially if lots of people lose their jobs, it's described as a shake-up. You can use this word for any similarly drastic change, like a shake-up in your morning routine after your family gets a new puppy that needs to be walked for an hour, or a shake-up in government after a major election.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Their Pastef party comfortably won the 2024 elections on a promise of a profound political shake-up, vowing to fight corruption and inheriting an economy mired in debt.
From Barron's • May 24, 2026
The shake-up comes months after Walmart announced John Furner would replace Doug McMillon as CEO, and named new CEOs and key executives for each of its three major business units: the U.S.,
From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026
Cooper, who also hosts a news program on CNN, announced in February his plans to leave CBS, months after an internal shake-up that followed the arrival of editor-in-chief, Bari Weiss.
From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026
Described as the biggest shake-up to renting in England for more than 30 years, new laws giving tenants more rights will be introduced on Friday 1 May.
From BBC • Apr. 28, 2026
You know the kind—one of these deadwood specimens that stand a show of gettin' the prunin' hook every time there's a shake-up.
From Torchy by Brehm, George
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
