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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The Minimalist The latest crop of sleek, minimal leather jackets feel plucked from Gwyneth Paltrow in the 90s, in the best possible way.—
Christina Holevas,
Vogue,
3 Sep. 2025
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There were no stoves in the cabins, so Huse plucked native oranges off the trees to make everyone freezer pies.—
Gabrielle Calise,
Miami Herald,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The shakeups are the latest at a time when restaurants are squeezed between a labor shortage, rising food prices and a loss of customers as diners cut back on spending.—
Bud Kennedy,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Sep. 2025
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For now, the three youngest each sleep in their own pack-and-plays squeezed into their parents’ bedroom.—
Jeff Truesdell,
People.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Sherry recalls one instance that stung in particular, when a friend pointed out his hair loss at a social gathering.—
Charles Trepany,
USA Today,
4 Sep. 2025
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None stung more than the second inning, when Freddie Freeman led off with a single against Pirates rookie Braxton Ashcraft.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Most of the damage done by the Trojans came in the ground game with three touchdowns.—
Cody Thorn,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
6 Sep. 2025
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Some, like Hugo Ekitike, Joao Pedro, Jack Grealish and Mohammed Kudus, have already done so.—
The Athletic UK Staff,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Farnaz Farjam, one of the show’s executive producers, told Deadline that the production hustled to find a way to capture all three elements.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
1 Sep. 2025
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The band hustled to build their social-media accounts, play shows, and produce a new EP.—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
27 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Treasury was expected to provide a list by October 2, 2025—the preliminary list, while not yet official, beat that deadline.—
Kelly Phillips Erb,
Forbes.com,
4 Sep. 2025
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The under-19s were beaten by Stuttgart in the first knockout round of the UEFA Youth League, while the under-21s ended up 16th in Premier League 2.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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This was the case for me, as a freshman who was secretly stuck in a cycle of binge eating and restriction but whose outer appearance didn’t change.—
Mallary Tenore Tarpley,
Time,
5 Sep. 2025
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And that has stuck pretty much ever since.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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That was not the team that flew home so thoroughly beaten.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
8 Sep. 2025
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Aryna Sabalenka curbed her natural instincts to beat Amanda Anisimova 6-3, 7-6(3) in an absorbing women’s final, before Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner contested their third Grand Slam final in a row — a record in the Open Era of men’s tennis.—
The Athletic Tennis Staff,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shaken down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shaken%20down. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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