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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shake down
Allison Gordon, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2025
The message Tokyo is taking away from this is to slow-walk disbursements hoping the U.S. Supreme Court rules Trump lacks the authority to shake down trading partners via tariffs.
—William Pesek, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025
New Atlas, 28 Oct. 2025
This is a third-world country shakedown, all because someone who talks for a living said something stupid.
—Jesse Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shake down
Verb
But in years past, many cases reviewed by CNN involved scam artists who sought to shake down immigrants for cash under threat of deportation.
—Allison Gordon, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2025
The message Tokyo is taking away from this is to slow-walk disbursements hoping the U.S. Supreme Court rules Trump lacks the authority to shake down trading partners via tariffs.
—William Pesek, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025
Noun
Wheeler ultimately took a 3,500-mile (5,630-km) road trip this around Iceland, by way of Germany, Denmark and Holland, as a proper shakedown for the eRC prototype.
—New Atlas, 28 Oct. 2025
This is a third-world country shakedown, all because someone who talks for a living said something stupid.
—Jesse Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shake down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shake down
Verb
-
The Hoosiers are probably cheating.—
Mac Engel
January 13,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Contessa’s Corner Sports leagues, state gambling regulators and tribal leaders have all raised concerns that prediction market trades on sports don’t have the same level of guardrails as sportsbooks to protect against cheating by athletes, referees, coaches and other insiders.—
Alex Sherman,Contessa Brewer,
CNBC,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Throughout the six-episode series, former contestants will compete to transform the beloved Bachelor mansion spaces, including the bunk rooms, the rose room, the pool area, the mixer room, the terrace and the kitchen.—
Marina Watts,
PEOPLE,
15 Jan. 2026
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In the first episode, contestants will have to test their math skills while updating the Bachelor Mansion’s bunk rooms.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
15 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Do this simple test to find out if your soil is ready.—
Barbara Gillette,
The Spruce,
15 Jan. 2026
-
Lockheed Martin completed the first of a series of flight tests to demonstrate its Next-Generation Short-Range Interceptor (NGSRI) capability.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The Sirius Dog Sled Patrol, an elite Danish naval unit that conducts long-range reconnaissance and enforces Danish sovereignty in the Arctic wilderness, is also stationed in Greenland.—
Danica Kirka,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Jan. 2026
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The group allegedly steals employee lists and job titles by compromising HR software platforms and conducting extensive reconnaissance on LinkedIn, said Nixon.—
Amanda Gerut,
Fortune,
1 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The Panthers squeezed a few end-of-career seasons out of guys such as Dino Ciccarelli and Igor Larionov.—
Sean McIndoe,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Instead, 2026 is about building both stylish and sensible outfits that can take you from the airport to the streets with maximum versatility without ever squeezing into tight, form-fitting fabric.—
Merrell Readman,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Thanks to its large construction, capacity to hold up to 330 pounds, and balance spreader bar, multiple people can lounge in the hammock at once.—
Toni Sutton,
PEOPLE,
14 Jan. 2026
-
There is a roof deck with a hot tub, a bar for evening gatherings and nature presentations, and a hammock in the bow for those with a taste for traditional Amazonian travel.—
Stanley Stewart,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Plemons admits Lanthimos’ rehearsal process initially left him lost.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
12 Jan. 2026
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His father, who played in a party band, occasionally invited him to rehearsals, where Kwasniewski-Kelvin, then 12, would solo over the group’s blues and pop jams.—
Jazz Monroe,
Pitchfork,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Hassabis said the Gemini models being developed at DeepMind can be shipped across various Google products, such as search, very quickly.—
Arjun Kharpal,
CNBC,
16 Jan. 2026
-
Earlier this month, the Duke of Sussex visited Santa Barbara–area fire stations alongside Watch Duty co-founder and CEO John Mills, where firefighters walked him through the realities of emergency response, from brush trucks and rescue ATVs to thermal search-and-rescue drones.—
Erin Hill,
PEOPLE,
16 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shake down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shake%20down. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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