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
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
Prevent unwanted weeds from establishing in sidewalk and driveway cracks by hosing out or scraping away dirt and sediment from the cracks.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 28 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
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
Prevent unwanted weeds from establishing in sidewalk and driveway cracks by hosing out or scraping away dirt and sediment from the cracks.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 28 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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The videos have pulled back the curtain on ingredient shifts across some of the company’s most recognizable products — and a surging cocoa market that’s squeezing the entire candy industry.—
Hanna Wickes,
Kansas City Star,
1 Apr. 2026
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The Pios led 4-1 after a period and put the clamps down, methodically squeezing the clock and the Broncos’ hopes of a repeat title, a shift at a time.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Alcohol can be stinging and drying to the skin.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Meta had the worst week in the group, dropping more than 11% after two stinging court defeats added to the social media company's challenges.—
Ari Levy,
CNBC,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The United States pulled off a daring rescue of two aviators whose fighter jet was shot down by Iran, plucking the pilot from behind enemy lines before setting off a complicated extraction of the second service member who hid deep in the mountains as Tehran called for Iranians to help capture him.—
Seung Min Kim,
Fortune,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Michigan coach Dusty May had made the most of the transfer portal, plucking players out of it in each of his two years to remarkably rebuild a program that lost a school-record 24 games two years ago before firing former Fab Five player Juwan Howard.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
Meanwhile, McCutchen walked for the fourth straight game and beat out an infield single, hustling hard to first on a squibber down the third base line.—
Evan Grant,
Dallas Morning News,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
All the setup required was screwing in the legs.—
Noah Kaufman,
Architectural Digest,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Most people would agree that cheating and planning a school shooting are hardly equal offenses, and Borgli doesn't totally stick the landing by sweeping Emma's past impulses under the rug.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
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In the past, Bravo has resumed filming when controversies including its shows have arisen, most notably with the Vanderpump Rules season 10 cheating scandal called Scandoval.—
McKinley Franklin,
HollywoodReporter,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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With nearly all of the 10 million Indians who live in the Gulf sticking it out during the conflict with Iran, efforts by New Delhi to overhaul the rights of its workers abroad are falling short of what is needed, according to the Indian news outlet Scroll.—
Kelsey Warner,
semafor.com,
30 Mar. 2026
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In Texas, a man was charged after allegedly sticking his camera up the skirt of an agent during a showing.—
Tim Stelloh,
NBC news,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Willacy, who received the death penalty for beating his neighbor with a hammer and setting her on fire in 1990 in Palm Bay, Florida, is scheduled to be executed on April 21.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Meanwhile, UConn earned a ticket to the final game after beating Illinois, 71-62, in hopes of earning its seventh championship title.—
DeJanay Booth-Singleton,
CBS News,
6 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hosing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hosing. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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