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
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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
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Medical cost inflation surged, squeezing margins and forcing guidance lower, while Washington added uncertainty around reimbursements and oversight.—
Jay Woods,
CNBC,
23 Apr. 2026
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At the same time, inflation has ticked higher yet again, squeezing budgets and leaving less room for aggressive repayment strategies.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The verdict is a stinging rebuke to the Department of Justice, which settled with Live Nation early in the trial, leaving it to the states to litigate to a verdict.—
Gene Maddaus,
Variety,
16 Apr. 2026
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Live Nation ain’t turning the other cheek to a stinging jury verdict today that labeled the Ticketmaster-owning concert and talent promoter a monopoly.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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For some, working with soil evokes nostalgia for childhood summers, smelling thorny roses in bloom and plucking ripe tomatoes off the vine.—
Nicole Kliest,
Vogue,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Brawley hires football coach After a months-long search, Brawley High School has hired a football coach, plucking Rick Stewart away from Calipatria.—
John Maffei,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Taste of Baldwin Park creator David Merritt has been hustling in this part of town for decades, even before it was ranked among the city’s most desirable addresses.—
Amy Drew Thompson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Braves players worked on hustling first to third on a soft single to the outfield, or breaking toward home on a dribbler in the infield.—
Chad Bishop,
AJC.com,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Remove the shower head by screwing it off counterclockwise.—
Hallie Milstein,
Southern Living,
20 Apr. 2026
-
To make a profit from their business, American companies sent their manufacturing facilities overseas, screwing American workers by incurring smaller labor costs, therefore profiting rich investors who never had to work for it and used their money to make more money off the American consumer.—
Jay Reddick,
The Orlando Sentinel,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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When the cheating scandal happened, there was a groundswell of support from fans, a protectiveness over Long as a woman and as a cultural touchstone.—
Zeba Blay,
SELF,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Notice something small, then compliment it This one is almost cheating.—
Henna Pryor,
CNBC,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Another part of the campus has dozens of roofs just sticking above the ground as the shingles freeze and bake and are soaked by Mother Nature sometimes for more than a decade for more testing.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
21 Apr. 2026
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However, not everyone is sticking the landing on this.—
Matt Reigle OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Congratulations to 16-year-old Mathis Albert, who came on as a late substitute for Dortmund and became the youngest American to play in the Bundesliga, beating Gio Reyna’s record.—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
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Aside from beating the stuffing out of a life-sized penguin plushie, Gritty has mocked — and stalked — the team's fans.—
Kaitlyn McCormick,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hosing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hosing. Accessed 28 Apr. 2026.
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