Definition of "shakeout" [shakeout]

• The elimination of competing businesses or products in a particular field. (noun)
• A decline in the values of certain securities that usually results in a depressed stock market. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "I would classify it as the beginnings of what I call a shakeout."
• "David Brooks says that we are in "shakeout" mode in Iraq, and while we're bound to make some mistakes, the overall effort is worth the effort."
• "The industry is going through, I think, a relatively long-term shakeout of capacity here."