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shake up
shake someone or something up
to jostle or knock someone or something around; to toss someone or something back and forth. We rode over a rough road, and that shook us up. The accident shook up John quite a bit.
shake someone up
to shock or upset someone. The sight of the injured man shook me up. Your rude remark really shook up Tom.
shake something up
1. Lit. to shake a container to mix its contents together well. Please shake this up before using it. I shook up the medicine bottle like it says on the label.
2. Fig. to reorganize a group or organization, not always in a gentle way. The new manager shook the office up and made things run a lot better. The coach shook the team up before the last game and made them better organized.
shake up somebody
also shake somebody up to upset someone The kids were pretty shaken up by the accident. Patrick's death shook me up pretty badly.
shake up something
also shake something up to cause big changes in a situation or organization The company announced that it would shake up top management and cut 1,000 jobs. Every new boss likes to shake things up a bit when they take over.
shake up
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.
shake up
v.1. To move something vigorously up and down or from side to side, as in mixing: I shook up the orange juice before I opened the carton. We shook the ingredients up and poured them into a bowl.
2. To upset someone by or as if by a physical jolt or shock: The accident really shook us up. The bad news shook up the whole family.
3. To subject something to a drastic rearrangement or reorganization: The new management intends to shake up the company. The CEO's new policies have really shaken things up around here—I now report to a new boss.