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
  • In the world of Dune, the suit transforms the sweat into drinking water; but in the Mexican desert, the sweat just pools, sticks to my skin and runs down my arms.
    — Kyle Maclachlan, HollywoodReporter, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Neural cells form as a thickening of the ectoderm that runs down the center of the embryo from head to tail.
    — JOHN TIMMER, ArsTechnica, 23 Sep. 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
  • Some identity theft companies include Dark Web Monitoring that searches for exposed personal information and alerts you when it is found.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Amid changing forests, a blind Polish linguist searches for sounds that might heal what human language cannot.
    — Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 29 Sep. 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
  • The person may have been closing out a bearish position or placing a bet the precious metal finds a floor around $375.
    — Oliver Renick, CNBC, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Keep scrolling to shop my favorite unexpected home finds starting at $100.
    — Toni Sutton, PEOPLE, 29 Sep. 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.

Browse Nearby Words

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 4 Oct. 2026.

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