as in plucked
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shook down
Verb
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Our guide in Moscow, Tanya, was a middle-aged woman who wore thick glasses plucked from a swiveling Optika stand at a Metro station.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Apr. 2026 -
Somberness, as well as anger and sadness, color the majority of the songs plucked from Springsteen's vast catalog to underscore the reason for this 20-date tour.—
Melissa Ruggieri,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Teddy, specifically, has also cheated death on the series several times.—
Jackie Strause,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Mar. 2026
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Indigenous people have been cheated through laws such as are operated in Nigeria today.—
Noo Saro-Wiwa,
The Dial,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Some parents feel squeezed when gifted assets significantly appreciate, according to Robert Westley of Northern Trust.—
Hayley Cuccinello,
CNBC,
2 Apr. 2026
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Higher gas prices can also hurt sales inside the gas stations, if customers who are being squeezed at the pump spend less on other things.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Anyone who is stung repeatedly or has trouble breathing should call 911.—
Rey Covarrubias Jr,
AZCentral.com,
29 Mar. 2026
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These scandals stung at the time, but looking back, Cyrus wouldn’t have changed a thing.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The dads and sons hustled to a nearby dirt patch.—
Charles Bethea,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
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Minnesota pulled even in the fourth when Byron Buxton hustled home on sacrifice fly by Josh Bell.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The average commuter spends 63 hours a year stuck in traffic.—
Jessica Guynn,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
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The suspect was stuck in the shoulder while a stray bullet grazed a sleeping 71-year-old in a near by home.—
Colleen Cronin,
Boston Herald,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Suns then tied the game at 94-94 after Jordan Goodwin beat the buzzer with a corner triple to end the period.—
Jason Beede,
The Orlando Sentinel,
1 Apr. 2026
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Keller stymies defending champ Coppell Claire Garritson scored the game-winning goal in the second half and Keller hung on to beat defending state champion Coppell 2-1 in the Class 6A Division 1 Region 1 Final on Tuesday night at Keller High School.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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A lot of times, much of a Hollywood memoir is someone saying this person screwed me over, this bad thing happened, and so on.—
Vinson Cunningham,
New Yorker,
29 Mar. 2026
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Harper is thrilled, Whitney is screwed.—
Meg Walters,
Glamour,
2 Mar. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Shook down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shook%20down. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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