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as in injustices
unfair or inadequate treatment of someone or something or an instance of this
the homeowners who were bought out are convinced they got the shaft in that deal
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shafts
That list includes several top-20 players and notables playing the brand’s popular iron shafts, such as Lydia Ko (KBS VX Lite 90) and Hye-Jin Choi (PGI 90).
—
Scott Kramer, Forbes.com, 18 Jan. 2026
Its core structure includes a long spiral access tunnel, three vertical shafts, and two horizontal levels, reaching a depth of about 1,840 feet.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 27 Dec. 2025
The condition of caskets, artifacts and human remains varied, said Stantec archeologist Ryan Peterson, noting that the number human remains found does not equal the number of grave shafts.
—Alexandria Burris, IndyStar, 14 Nov. 2025
Stairwells and elevator shafts acted like chimneys, and the absence of emergency lighting, signage and alternative exits prevented the safe evacuation of the hotel’s 238 guests, the indictment said.
—CNN Money, 31 Oct. 2025
In the past, some radioactive fallout has leaked from test shafts.
—Geoff Brumfiel, NPR, 30 Oct. 2025
Scott Kramer, Forbes.com, 18 Jan. 2026
Its core structure includes a long spiral access tunnel, three vertical shafts, and two horizontal levels, reaching a depth of about 1,840 feet.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 27 Dec. 2025
The condition of caskets, artifacts and human remains varied, said Stantec archeologist Ryan Peterson, noting that the number human remains found does not equal the number of grave shafts.
—Alexandria Burris, IndyStar, 14 Nov. 2025
Stairwells and elevator shafts acted like chimneys, and the absence of emergency lighting, signage and alternative exits prevented the safe evacuation of the hotel’s 238 guests, the indictment said.
—CNN Money, 31 Oct. 2025
In the past, some radioactive fallout has leaked from test shafts.
—Geoff Brumfiel, NPR, 30 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shafts
Noun
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The Egg Nebula, so-named for its yolk (the star) surrounded by egg white (clouds of dust and gas), is extraordinarily dynamic, with twin beams of light punching through a series of rippling arcs.—
Stefanie Waldek,
Space.com,
11 Feb. 2026
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After closing a section of I-94 in both directions on Friday night, crews planning to set beams for the new bridge scrapped the operation the next morning and had the interstate reopened by about noon on Saturday, more than 24 hours ahead of schedule.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
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This includes, but is not limited to baseball bats, hockey sticks, spears, spear guns, crossbows, and fishing gear.—
Kait Hanson,
Southern Living,
30 Jan. 2026
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Using tools only of stone, bone, and shell, Islanders made wooden spears and clubs, and canoes built from planks stitched together with plant fibers and fitted with outriggers.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Food apartheid refers to systemic injustices that restrict access to affordable and nutritious food, specifically for low-income residents and racial minorities.—
Everett Eaton,
jsonline.com,
10 Feb. 2026
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The show nodded to Puerto Rican injustices and highlighted some hip thrusts.—
Shane O’Neill,
Washington Post,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Second, there are the dual searchlight-like rays emerging from both sides of this nebula.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
11 Feb. 2026
-
The light measurements revealed that these markers emit light in wavelengths that stand out against the surrounding environment when exposed to ultraviolet (UV) rays.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The Tofinu took refuge in the lagoons along the Bight of Benin, a core area of the slave trade, venturing forth in canoes with harpoons, javelins, and swords to fight off raiders from powerful nearby kingdoms.—
Laurent Dubois,
The Atlantic,
6 Jan. 2026
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The flowers and ferns of the Mani hills—purple spears, white arrows, feathery javelins—slowly flatten into the horizon.—
Antonia Quirke,
Condé Nast Traveler,
8 May 2024
Noun
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And last year’s wrongs have not yet been righted in any tangible way.—
Sam Blum,
New York Times,
14 Feb. 2026
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Amid a prediction history that featured 13 wrongs in my first 16 years — how does that even happen?—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Warhorses charge, lances down, crashing through the tilts as lances break on shields and men topple from their steeds.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
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Three or four decades ago, the newspaperman was appealingly raffish—at once a bum who drank too much and a knight-errant who charged unafraid at social injustice, succored the weak, and crossed lances with the powerful and arrogant.—
David Wingrave,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The team now plans to develop more advanced models, including organoids that simulate chronic spinal cord injuries with long-standing scar tissue.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Feb. 2026
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The third woman received what is believed to be non-life threatening injuries, police said.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
17 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shafts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shafts. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.
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