shakeout

[sheyk-out]

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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of shakeout¹

First recorded in 1890–95; noun use of verb phrase shake out

Example Sentences

There have been some strong contrarian warnings, and some strategists have been waiting for a shakeout that will remove some of the froth from the market.

Read more on Barron's

“For people who are seasoned in this asset class, this isn’t a big deal. I think this is just a shakeout.”

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Industry executives predict a shakeout when the war ends.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

He is focused instead on what he calls JOMO, or the joy of missing out on a potential shakeout in tech stocks such as Palantir Technologies and other Nasdaq highfliers.

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“The metal’s been overextended and long in the tooth for weeks, so some profit-taking or even a shakeout like this can help to clear out the tourists before a potential next leg higher,” said Koos.

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Related Words

• cataclysm 
• catastrophe 
• disaster 
• disorder 
• disruption 
• disturbance 
• eruption 
• explosion 
• ferment 
• outbreak 
• revolution 
• temblor 
• tremor 
• tumult 
• turmoil