as in plucked
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
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Recent Examples of shaken down
Law firms are shaken down into submission.
—
Christopher Bouzy, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Aug. 2025
Christopher Bouzy, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shaken down
Verb
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Ortega, 22, hit the red carpet in a look plucked straight from Givenchy's runway show, which featured several oversized jewels that draped against her chest and upper body.—
Starr Bowenbank,
PEOPLE,
24 Sep. 2025
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You got plucked from obscurity to do this project.—
Chris Lee,
Vulture,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Some people who have bought homes in the last few years feel squeezed by monthly payments that leave little cash left over.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
29 Sep. 2025
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Thomas turned around and squeezed DeChambeau’s leg with anxiety, his face in a nervous grimace.—
Brody Miller,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Last year’s finals loss stung because the Lynx came so close.—
Ben Pickman,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
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Congressional Democrats feel stung by the mass layoffs and program cuts that followed the last stopgap spending deal in March.—
Ronald J. Hansen,
AZCentral.com,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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But Rafaela didn’t need to homer; an RBI triple off Detroit Tigers reliever Tommy Kahnle was more than enough to get the job done, 4-3.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
27 Sep. 2025
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Despite the regulation, some groups argue more must be done to protect flight crews when the door is open.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
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And before the card shop owner from Lexington, Kentucky, could introduce himself to the NBA player, the 6-foot-7 LaRavia hustled over and beat him to it.—
Dan Woike,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
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Agents grabbed one man who appeared to be charging up the driveway, pinned him to the ground and hustled him behind the gate with his hands behind his back.—
Caroline Kubzansky,
Boston Herald,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Corporate earnings continue to beat expectations, providing enough fuel for the market rally to continue at least until investors parse through third quarter earnings results in the coming months, Teal said.—
John Towfighi,
CNN Money,
1 Oct. 2025
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The rest—including in May 2023, when Nvidia had the biggest positive earnings surprise a company has ever delivered, beating expectations handily and then offering a quarterly revenue forecast that was $4 billion above expectations—is history.—
Jim Cramer,
Fortune,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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If a player is left in a room, they will be stuck there, losing a point each round, until another player returns to the room to release them.—
Kayti Burt,
Time,
26 Sep. 2025
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That relevance has stuck in Kansas City three weeks later.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Mamdani, who, at age 33, would be the city’s youngest and most liberal mayor in generations if elected, beat Cuomo decisively in the Democratic primary by campaigning on a promise try to lower the cost of living in one of the world’s most expensive cities.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
28 Sep. 2025
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The next day, Ashley Hollis, a 25-year-old attorney, beat 34-year-old Vince Panaro in Part 2 to punch her ticket to Part 3.—
Christopher Kuhagen,
jsonline.com,
28 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shaken down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shaken%20down. Accessed 3 Oct. 2025.
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