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shake-up

/ˈʃeɪk ˌʌp/
IPA guide

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.

Definitions of shake-up
  1. noun
    a set of drastic changes, such as to staff, policies, or organizational structure
    see moresee less
    type of:
    organisation, organization
    the act of organizing a business or an activity related to a business
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