pats down

verb

present tense third-person singular of pat down
as in shakes down

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pats down
  1. shakes down
  2. runs down
  3. rifles
  4. finds out
  5. searches
  6. audits
  7. dredges
  8. finds
Verb
  • The commission shakes down property owners by, say, requiring them to remove structures or give up development rights.
    — Steven Greenhut, Oc Register, 1 May 2026
  • Later, Tom pours vodka into a Phillies cup and watches birds flutter by at night while Robbie gets his guns ready and shakes down a trap house.
    — Grace Byron, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2025
Definition of shakes down
Verb
  • The Reds rallied from three runs down in the eighth inning after White Sox starter Sean Burke allowed only one run on three hits in seven innings.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Blood runs down Zack’s chin before his parents swear to tell the truth.
    — JP Mangalindan, Time, 31 July 2026
Definition of runs down
Verb
  • With four minutes until penalties, Spain venture forward, Cesc Fabregas slips in Iniesta, who rifles it home to win the World Cup.
    — Adam Hurrey, New York Times, 17 July 2026
  • Before Poeltl can complete the double-team, Towns looks to the 3-point line then rifles a right-handed pass over his own head to Bridges for the easy two under the rim.
    — Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 11 Apr. 2026
Definition of rifles
Verb
  • Some family members even left the courtroom as Marcelle is heard asking about her children and finds out her son was killed.
    — Tara Lynch, CBS News, 24 June 2026
  • And also God help him if anyone on the island finds out that Evan is the last [descendant].
    — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 17 June 2026
Definition of finds out
Verb
  • This transfer leaves more than 20 lions and tigers at Luján while Four Paws searches for their long-term homes.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Ser Roxton finds Ormund’s corpse, while Gwayne searches among the rubble and ash for young Daeron.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of searches
Verb
  • As these legal complaints shake out, and UC Davis audits its own processes, former members of UC Davis’ championship-winning equestrian team are figuring out how to move forward.
    — Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 1 July 2026
  • In Cambodia, Indonesia and Vietnam, workers report intimidation, surveillance and firing threats to suppress organizing—all tactics that audits routinely miss.
    — Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 1 Apr. 2026
Definition of audits
Verb
  • To keep the body of water a lake and an effective flood-control tool, Great Parks periodically dredges to remove excess sediment at the bottom of the lake.
    — Matthew Cupelli, Cincinnati Enquirer, 19 Mar. 2026
Definition of dredges
Verb
  • Protas sees plays that others don’t, and finds seams in the offensive zone quickly.
    — Corey Pronman, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Based on her own troubled adolescence following her father’s suicide, the novel tells the story of Ann, who, after losing her father in tragic circumstances, finds solace – and trouble – in the Manchester music scene of the 1970s and 1980s.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of finds
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.

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pats
pats down
patsies
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Cite this Entry

“Pats down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pats%20down. Accessed 22 Aug. 2026.

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