as in squeezes
to rob by the use of trickery or threats
the rumor is that he started his career shaking people down as an enforcer for the mob
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shakes down
Later, Tom pours vodka into a Phillies cup and watches birds flutter by at night while Robbie gets his guns ready and shakes down a trap house.
—
Grace Byron, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2025
Grace Byron, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shakes down
Verb
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This example of the latter skillfully squeezes a comfortable home for two into a single shipping container.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
11 Jan. 2026
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As the moon follows an elliptical path, Saturn’s gravity stretches and squeezes it.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Inspired by real stories, Eva Marcille portrays a wife who miraculously cheats death after her husband’s (Tyler Lepley) betrayal in Pushed Off a Plane and Survived airing on February 28.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
30 Jan. 2026
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Blashill wants the Blackhawks to be a fast-pressure team at both ends of the rink, one that attacks vertically but never cheats for offense.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Losing Sproat stings as a player the Mets drafted twice and developed into a big-league starter, but the right-hander out of the University of Florida is still unproven.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
22 Jan. 2026
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January 20 – February 18 When pride stings, compassion clears the air.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Suddenly, Jeff Parker plucks a sighing six-note guitar run, dropping his shoulders into a solo section that carries the tune to its swooning conclusion.—
Dash Lewis,
Pitchfork,
20 Dec. 2025
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As Natalie walks away from Shayne, possibly for good, and as Venus and some entity named Gabby lunge for each other, Katie Maloney Schwartz Maloney plucks out her earbuds, pulls her sunglasses off her cunty little bob, closes her copy of The Shards, and packs up her bag.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
17 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Most notably, watch here as backup center Oso Ighodaro shuts down Jalen Brunson’s final attempt to tie the score, then Grayson Allen deflects his pass, hustles into the backcourt and banks it off Mikal Bridges’ face and out of bounds.—
John Hollinger,
New York Times,
13 Jan. 2026
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The pair goes out and hustles other players with a cunning ruse that relies on the era’s racial and ethnic divisions.—
Jeff Ihaza,
Rolling Stone,
29 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Hollywood has returned again and again to the Hellraiser well — with a whopping nine sequels and a 2022 reboot — but nothing beats the original.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Jan. 2026
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On a blustery cold winter night, nothing beats a steamy cup of hot chocolate.—
Heather Riske,
Better Homes & Gardens,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Barb appears, and sticks the device in Hank’s neck, pulling out the fusion chip.—
Jack King,
Vulture,
21 Jan. 2026
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Sir Jimmy sticks a knife in Kelson, which turns out to be a mortal wound, but Spike and Kelly (Erin Kellyman) – aka Jimmy Ink – attack Sir Jimmy.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
17 Jan. 2026
Verb
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When the woman exits, her assailant throws her to the ground, rips off her clothes and overpowers her.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
24 Jan. 2026
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The leader of these superheroes rips off his protective visor and unleashes a catastrophic optic blast.—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shakes down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shakes%20down. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
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