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definitions

shakeout

[sheyk-out]
See more synonyms for shakeout on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. an elimination or winnowing out of some competing businesses, products, etc., as a result of intense competition in a market of declining sales or rising standards of quality.
  2. a rapid decline in the values of certain securities sold in stock exchanges or the like.

Origin of shakeout

First recorded in 1890–95; noun use of verb phrase shake out
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for shakeout

decline, stagnation, collapse, slump, slide, inflation, downturn, bankruptcy, shakeout, unemployment, deflation, turmoil, disturbance, explosion, disaster, tumult, eruption, temblor, disruption, revolution

Examples from the Web for shakeout

Contemporary Examples of shakeout

  • The signs of a shakeout are evident beyond the bestseller list.

    The Daily Beast logo
    Celebrity Memoir Glut

    Ben Yagoda

    November 24, 2009

Word Origin and History for shakeout
n.

also shake-out, "business upheaval," 1895, from verbal phrase; see shake (v.) + out (adv.).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper