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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Not just reserved for jack-o-lanterns and lattes, pumpkin, more specifically, the oil that comes from roasting, grinding, and squeezing the seeds, is trending as an ingredient that can be beneficial for your scalp and hair.—
Mykenna Maniece,
Vogue,
19 Mar. 2026
-
Top with basil leaves and serve with cooked rice on the side and lime wedges for squeezing over.—
Jesse Szewczyk,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Still stinging from that rout, the Hurricanes are ready to get March Madness started.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
15 Mar. 2026
-
The institute and federal ocean officials say those appendages, called cerata, hold the stinging cells in a concentrated form, making the slug’s sting especially potent.—
Dante Motley,
Austin American Statesman,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The fairy-tale qualities continue as Betty shows off the contents of her bedraggled herb garden to her new ward, plucking out an edible flower for Laura to sample.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
23 Mar. 2026
-
When not plucking away at a keyboard, Madison teaches yoga and mountain bikes with her two Australian shepherds, Cholla and Poppy, through Missoula's Rattlesnake Wilderness.—
Madison Dapcevich,
Outside,
21 Mar. 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
-
Paul frequently accuses Mortenson of cheating and lying, which he’s openly admitted to — after he gets caught.—
Jodi Guglielmi,
Rolling Stone,
19 Mar. 2026
-
Both are love stories involving cheating that nonetheless end well.—
Manuel Mendoza,
Dallas Morning News,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Apply a thin layer around the door frame to keep dust from sticking and building up there.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
15 Mar. 2026
-
One of those at Nottingham Forest’s Europa League defeat to Midtjylland last night seized the moment by turning to the camera and sticking his fingers in his ears (above).—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Shane Pinto scored on the power play, Warren Foegele added his fifth goal in nine games since being traded and the Ottawa Senators made up more ground in their chase to make the playoffs by beating the New York Rangers 2-1 on Monday night.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Repeat with the remaining flour mixture and buttermilk, beating just until no large lumps remain.—
Cathy Thomas,
Oc Register,
23 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hosing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hosing. Accessed 24 Mar. 2026.
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