as in to cheat
to rob by the use of trickery or threats
the rumor is that he started his career shaking people down as an enforcer for the mob
Synonyms & Similar Words
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1
as in bunk
Related Words
2
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shake down
Joe Mahr, Chicago Tribune, 29 Mar. 2026
Cipriani followed this script in his effort to shake down Jeff Shell.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 16 Mar. 2026
Josh Dinner, Space.com, 16 Apr. 2026
The spacecraft commander headed a team of four on the Artemis II shakedown cruise of the new Orion spacecraft, flying a trajectory that took them to the moon and then 4,700 miles beyond the lunar far side—farther from Earth than any human beings have ever ventured.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 15 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shake down
Verb
The city hired a second firm to represent Watts, as the city was legally responsible for covering legal judgments against him despite his federal prison sentence for shaking down a drug courier.
—Joe Mahr, Chicago Tribune, 29 Mar. 2026
Cipriani followed this script in his effort to shake down Jeff Shell.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 16 Mar. 2026
Noun
Principally, Artemis 2 was a test flight of Orion's life support systems and a shakedown cruise to verify that the craft can sustain a crew during a mission to lunar space.
—Josh Dinner, Space.com, 16 Apr. 2026
The spacecraft commander headed a team of four on the Artemis II shakedown cruise of the new Orion spacecraft, flying a trajectory that took them to the moon and then 4,700 miles beyond the lunar far side—farther from Earth than any human beings have ever ventured.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 15 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shake down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shake down
Verb
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Though Lesnar rarely cheats to win, Femi isn’t going to lose clean.—
Blake Oestriecher,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
-
Greg de la Garza, Miami The Republican Party of Florida is cheating and getting away with it.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
30 May 2026
Noun
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Several steps up from the camp bunks of your youth, the suites come with a kitchenette, a freestanding gas fireplace, and an en-suite deep soaking tub and rainfall shower.—
Lydia Mansel,
Southern Living,
28 May 2026
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Above the garage, the bunk room could sleep a softball team, with four full-size mattresses below and four twins on top.—
Kelly Ryan Kegans,
Midwest Living,
22 May 2026
Noun
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Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images SoftBank's plan to invest 75 billion euros in building AI infrastructure in France underscored the nation's status as a leading hub, but Big Tech's lofty energy demands will put the wider continent's grid to the test, analysts say.—
Joseph Wilkins,
CNBC,
3 June 2026
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Lab tests showed that the plants without the active inceptin receptor failed to emit this volatile blend when exposed to either the synthetic In11 peptide or actual caterpillar oral secretions.—
Jacek Krywko,
ArsTechnica,
3 June 2026
Noun
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Before then, Sweden’s security services had mostly observed reconnaissance for potential attacks, intelligence gathering or activity linked to cybercriminals.—
Emma Burrows,
Fortune,
30 May 2026
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The war, now in its fifth year, has seen the use of ground robots to deliver supplies to the front line, and autonomous and AI-augmented drones for precision strikes and reconnaissance.—
Dylan Butts,
CNBC,
30 May 2026
Verb
-
Freddie Freeman squeezed one inside the left-field foul pole in the first inning, his fourth home run in nine games (after hitting just one in the previous 35 games).—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
30 May 2026
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The bedroom is now its own separate space—one that Konieczny managed to squeeze more custom storage inside—and despite having to move the shower and toilet, the bathroom is much more functional as well.—
Nicolas Milon,
Architectural Digest,
30 May 2026
Noun
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Exempt items include ammo, firearms, bows, arrows, wrist guards, muzzles, silencers, rods and reels of $75 or less, tackle boxes of $30 or less, tents of $200 or less, sleeping bags, hammocks, camping stoves, camp chairs of $50 or less, and lanterns and flashlights $30 or less.—
Jeffrey Schweers,
The Orlando Sentinel,
26 May 2026
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Give a small backyard patio a vacation vibe by hanging a hammock.—
Jenny Hughes,
The Spruce,
25 May 2026
Noun
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These rehearsals, still widely unknown and spanning from late 1943 through April 1944, involved dangerous friendly fire and suffered from serious coordination errors, resulting in the real-life deaths of at least 700 American and British soldiers.—
Emily Zemler,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
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The timing was already brutal because Travolta needed to finish the film in time to begin rehearsals for Grease opposite Olivia Newton-John.—
Seth Abramovitch,
HollywoodReporter,
28 May 2026
Noun
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During the search for the missing mother and daughter and Fieramusca, FBI agents followed Green.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
29 May 2026
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On Thursday, the school promoted offensive coordinator Anthony Vizakis to take over the coveted role, ending a search that lasted about six weeks.—
Brendan Connelly,
Boston Herald,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shake down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shake%20down. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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