as in squeezing
to rob by the use of trickery or threats
when the guy failed to return with our money, we realized that we had been hosed
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of hosing
On the night of April 21, Toronto fire crews called time on the stunt, blocking access to the sculpture and hosing it down with warm water, Toronto City News reports.
—
Alex Suskind, Pitchfork, 21 Apr. 2026
Bagging up trash tightly and hosing out dirty trash cans can also help.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 10 Apr. 2026
As buses loaded with evacuees pulled onto the road, members of the skeleton crew started gathering their belongings and hosing down buildings.
—New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026
Residents were prohibited from watering their lawns or hosing down their cars; industrial operations, largely exempt from drought restrictions, kept drawing the water they had been promised.
—Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 13 Nov. 2025
Drone footage shows crews hosing down a smoking pile of materials that caught fire at a northeastern Massachusetts recycling plant.
—Saleen Martin, USA Today, 29 Aug. 2025
The video — which name-drops the Euphoria star — sees Lizzo hosing down a Porsche while clad in torn denim.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 7 Aug. 2025
Alex Suskind, Pitchfork, 21 Apr. 2026
Bagging up trash tightly and hosing out dirty trash cans can also help.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 10 Apr. 2026
As buses loaded with evacuees pulled onto the road, members of the skeleton crew started gathering their belongings and hosing down buildings.
—New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026
Residents were prohibited from watering their lawns or hosing down their cars; industrial operations, largely exempt from drought restrictions, kept drawing the water they had been promised.
—Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 13 Nov. 2025
Drone footage shows crews hosing down a smoking pile of materials that caught fire at a northeastern Massachusetts recycling plant.
—Saleen Martin, USA Today, 29 Aug. 2025
The video — which name-drops the Euphoria star — sees Lizzo hosing down a Porsche while clad in torn denim.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 7 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hosing
Verb
-
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
-
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
-
These months see cockroaches and stinging insects at their peak activity.—
Kody Boye,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
8 May 2026
-
Bees stinging me everywhere, including underneath my shirt.—
Tommy McArdle,
PEOPLE,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
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
-
But Norris wasn’t far behind, plucking off the Dutchman before focusing on Antonelli.—
Madeline Coleman,
New York Times,
3 May 2026
Verb
-
The ball trickled behind second, and Hoerner kept going, hustling his way to second.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2026
-
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
-
Put the stopper back in the sink before re-screwing the pivot nut, horizontal rod, and sliding your under sink items back into place.—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
8 May 2026
-
Finally, the professional will install hangers to reinforce your gutters before screwing the mesh guard on top.—
Faith Wakefield,
USA Today,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
Though that 2017 championship is marred by one of the most egregious cheating scandals in baseball history.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
11 May 2026
-
Portraits of him as a cheating drunk, who was unfaithful to his first wife, Julia Nye, also surfaced.—
Kory Grow,
Rolling Stone,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
So the Patriots as an organization have to realize this scarlet letter is sticking right now.—
Armando Salguero OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
11 May 2026
-
Their thinking was that numerous landing attempts would allow companies to wring out their technology and improve their chances of sticking the next landing.—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
This is as good as any New York team has looked in a long time, maybe since the Giants got on that roll on their way to beating the 18-0 Patriots in Glendale, Ariz.—
Mike Lupica,
Hartford Courant,
11 May 2026
-
The surge in energy prices helped Saudi Aramco to report a 26% year-on-year jump in first-quarter profit on Sunday, beating analysts’ forecasts.—
Lim Hui Jie,
CNBC,
11 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hosing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hosing. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
