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• shake-up
  shake-up

  noun

  a thorough change in a business, department, or the like, as by dismissals, demotions, etc.
• shake up
  shake up

  verb

  to shake or agitate in order to mix

shake-up

American  

[shayk-uhp] / ˈʃeɪkˌʌp /

noun

1. a thorough change in a business, department, or the like, as by dismissals, demotions, etc.

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shake up British  

verb

1. to shake or agitate in order to mix

2. to reorganize drastically

3. to stir or rouse

4. to restore the shape of (a pillow, cushion, etc)

5. informal to disturb or shock mentally or physically

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noun

1. informal a radical or drastic reorganization

shake up Idioms  

1. Agitate in order to mix or loosen, as in This cough medicine needs to be thoroughly shaken up , or Please shake up these pillows .

2. 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]

3. Subject to drastic rearrangement or reorganization, as in New management was bent on shaking up each division .

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Etymology

Origin of shake-up

First recorded in 1900–05; noun use of verb phrase shake up

Explanation

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

shake-up shake up

The shake-up will herald the end of Samuelsson’s second stint as CEO of Volvo.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026

There will be a boost for fresh fruit and vegetables and deep-fried food will be banned in what the government has called the biggest shake-up to school dinners in England in over a decade.

From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026

Hedges previously hosted the Live Lounge with fellow presenters Rickie Haywood-Williams and Melvin Odoom, who have since left the station as part of a major schedule shake-up.

From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026

Then two years later, the family suffered a major shake-up: On Jan. 15, Allan, a 78-year-old American billionaire, died alone in Russia’s Saint Petersburg’s City Hospital No. 40, Intensive Care Unit No. 3.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026

Rather a shake-up, though, and I was dizzy with the heat before.

From Jessica Trent: Her Life on a Ranch by Evelyn Raymond

Powerful open model is set to shake up AI race.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026

It took a lot to shake up the 48-year-old.

From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026

After victory in the series opener in Johannesburg last month, the All Blacks jumped to the top of the world rankings and threatened to shake up rugby's world order.

From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026

Roberts wasn’t ready to shake up bullpen roles based on what he saw.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026

Fuller was prepared to shake up the city, to overthrow the status quo—but the Urban League took a more methodical, “go slow” approach.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

Related Words

• disturb
• reorganize
• shock