as in cheating
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 shaking down
This brainstorm is aimed at shaking down travel booking platforms.
—
Susan Shelley, Daily News, 13 May 2026
The city hired a second firm to represent Watts, as the city was legally responsible for covering legal judgments against him despite his federal prison sentence for shaking down a drug courier.
—Joe Mahr, Chicago Tribune, 29 Mar. 2026
And that’s important, especially as players age, because teams like the Dolphins seize on shaking down injured, or underperforming talent.
—Miami Herald, 26 Dec. 2025
Susan Shelley, Daily News, 13 May 2026
The city hired a second firm to represent Watts, as the city was legally responsible for covering legal judgments against him despite his federal prison sentence for shaking down a drug courier.
—Joe Mahr, Chicago Tribune, 29 Mar. 2026
And that’s important, especially as players age, because teams like the Dolphins seize on shaking down injured, or underperforming talent.
—Miami Herald, 26 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shaking down
Verb
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And when everyone else in the classroom is a genius, cheating becomes a real option to stay ahead, especially in the sciences.—
Nate Anderson,
ArsTechnica,
13 May 2026
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Kevin appeared to reference his 2017 cheating scandal, which transpired while Eniko was pregnant with their first child.—
Rachel Raposas,
PEOPLE,
12 May 2026
Verb
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While progressive Democrats are pushing to tax billionaires and close corporate loopholes, Republicans are warning that squeezing job creators will severely damage Illinois’ economy.—
Jeremy Gorner,
Chicago Tribune,
11 May 2026
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Higher fuel costs are leading to inflation and squeezing household budgets, while industries from manufacturing to transport are facing rising operating costs and supply disruptions.—
Julhas Alam,
Fortune,
11 May 2026
Verb
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Despite a series of stinging gerrymandering losses, Democrats remain favored to take back the House.—
Zachary Schermele,
USA Today,
18 May 2026
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How to Identify Peach Tree Borers Adult peach tree borers resemble stinging wasps, an evolutionary trick designed to scare away predators.—
Madeline Buiano,
Martha Stewart,
14 May 2026
Verb
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The Lightning historically have done a tremendous job plucking NHL talent from the middle rounds of the draft.—
Eduardo Encina,
The Orlando Sentinel,
16 May 2026
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Which is why Hailey Bieber’s bright white, electric G-Wagon is parked just feet away from the office bullpen, where 20-something staffers of the full-service production company are plucking away at their computers.—
Lucy Feldman,
Time,
6 May 2026
Verb
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The ball trickled behind second, and Hoerner kept going, hustling his way to second.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2026
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Over the past few years, Google has been hustling to reinvent its business for the AI age, trying to keep consumers in the habit of going to its search page as chatbots from startups such as OpenAI and Anthropic become more popular.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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No more ripping off the American Taxpayer.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Footwear News,
12 May 2026
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There’s little risk of Amodei pulling a Zaslav and ripping off Carter’s wardrobe.—
Julian Sancton,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Return to a boil, gently stirring the gnocchi to prevent sticking.—
Kate Williams,
AJC.com,
18 May 2026
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Still, after sticking Annie so deeply in the psychological trenches, gesturing to the light at the end of the tunnel is also welcome.—
Beatrice Loayza,
Variety,
17 May 2026
Verb
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Denise attacked Djena again, beating her until Mohamed and their eldest son, Ahmed, pulled her off.—
Yudhijit Bhattacharjee,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
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After the shooting, federal authorities accused Sosa-Celis and Aljorna of beating an ICE officer with a broomstick or a snow shovel during the incident, but those charges were later dropped after an investigation into whether the agents lied about the incident.—
Rena Rowe,
The Washington Examiner,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shaking down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shaking%20down. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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