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.
The move is the latest executive shake-up within OpenAI as it prepares for a highly anticipated public offering as soon as this year and tries to catch up with its rival Anthropic among business customers.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 9, 2026
A shake-up in the leadership of its Cloud unit has increased the level of urgency, people familiar with the matter say.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 19, 2026
Home buyers and sellers can expect an end to "gazumping" in a major shake-up aimed at speeding up housing sales.
From BBC • Jun. 19, 2026
The deal, reached Saturday and subject to regulatory approval, is one of the biggest European telecoms deals in recent years, and represents a major shake-up in France's telecommunications sector.
From Barron's • Jun. 7, 2026
On Monday there was a fine shake-up, for the Miter Hill game, if it had not held any thrills, had at least shown up many faults, individual and otherwise.
From Left End Edwards by Relyea, C. M. (Charles Mark)
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.
