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
Relevance
1
as in bunk
Related Words
2
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shake down
David Sims, The Atlantic, 10 Oct. 2025
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
Jeremy White, Wired News, 17 Jan. 2026
The Mexican Mafia, Aryan Brotherhood and other gangs have long trafficked drugs, alcohol and, in more recent years, phones, which allow inmates to carry out shakedowns, gambling rackets and killings on the streets of L.A. County.
—Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shake down
Verb
Julian dispatches Ares and his deputy, Athena (an imperious Jodie Turner-Smith), to the physical world, ordering them to shake down Eve for information about Flynn’s code.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 10 Oct. 2025
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
Noun
Images have just emerged of a shakedown test for the R26 in Barcelona, so expect to see the final car perhaps at the very beginning of the year.
—Jeremy White, Wired News, 17 Jan. 2026
The Mexican Mafia, Aryan Brotherhood and other gangs have long trafficked drugs, alcohol and, in more recent years, phones, which allow inmates to carry out shakedowns, gambling rackets and killings on the streets of L.A. County.
—Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shake down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shake down
Verb
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Educational institutions signed contracts with AI detection companies such as GPTZero, ZeroGPT and Turnitin to deter students from cheating and adopted AI policies.—
Liz Shulman,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Feb. 2026
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Meanwhile, our friends to the North seem to be in need of a timeout after cheating allegations.—
John Cherwa,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Feb. 2026
Noun
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On tour, Weir’s exercise gear, including resistance ropes, took up so much space in the bus that others on the tour had to stash their luggage in their own bunks.—
David Browne,
Rolling Stone,
17 Feb. 2026
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With about 5 feet by 7 feet below the bunk, a desk fits comfortably as does a craft table, a small futon, and many, many fort iterations.—
Kate McGregor,
Architectural Digest,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The Caucasian couple realized the baby was not of the same race, and genetic tests ordered by Score and Mills confirmed the baby was not their biological child.—
Martin E. Comas,
The Orlando Sentinel,
18 Feb. 2026
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Tupay and other plus-size park content creators put those resources to the test, to see how plus-size friendly Epic Universe can be.—
Eve Chen,
USA Today,
18 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The broader package includes Boeing P8I Poseidon reconnaissance aircraft for its navy, anti-tank mines for its ground forces, and upgrades to its Soviet-era T-72 tanks and BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles.—
Lim Hui Jie,
CNBC,
13 Feb. 2026
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During the Cold War, satellite reconnaissance was a powerful tool, albeit limited.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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But, squeezed by the cost of things from rent to beef, others are shaking up their habit.—
Matt Sedensky,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Feb. 2026
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Ag is being squeezed by foreign competition, rising costs, and weak leadership in Austin.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
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One of Bernhardt’s pets, Uriah, is the shop cat, and spends her days greeting and playing with customers and basking in the sunshine in her kitty hammock, which overlooks the parking lot from a plate glass window.—
Emily M. Olson,
Hartford Courant,
12 Feb. 2026
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The first slide showed Haack sitting in a hammock in the water, wearing nothing but a white bikini and a Clé Cachée trucker hat.—
Janelle Ash,
FOXNews.com,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
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This is just a small slice of what goes on daily at the company’s all-inclusive rehearsal and production space in two Tampa warehouses spread across 110,000 square feet.—
Patrick Connolly,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 Feb. 2026
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Lance’s way of dealing with rehearsals and the shooting was very accurate.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Pawtucket hockey arena shooting latest On Wednesday, the Pawtucket Police Department said that searches were conducted along with Maine State Police and the FBI at Dorgan's apartment and work locker in Bath, Maine and also at a storage unit in Brunswick, Maine.—
Matt Schooley,
CBS News,
19 Feb. 2026
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The site also contains search tools as well as a predictably gigantic source bibliography.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
19 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shake down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shake%20down. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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