as in cheated
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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People are robbed, assaulted and cheated.—
Armando Salguero OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
8 June 2026
-
That does not prove every student cheated.—
Gerald Bradshaw,
Chicago Tribune,
8 June 2026
Verb
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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 story of America’s lopsided home prices has often been pinned on the wealthy remote workers who squeezed home supply in the pandemic’s early days.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
29 May 2026
Verb
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Many of the items for the set were quite literally plucked from her residence ahead of her Saturday Night Live performance at the end of last year.—
Angela Tafoya,
Architectural Digest,
29 May 2026
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Etna, a battle-scarred but kindhearted shepherd mix who was plucked from his home on the eve of an unspecified conflict in an unnamed country, has grown weary of war’s brutalities and longs to return to the coastal farm of his puppyhood.—
Emily Temple,
Literary Hub,
26 May 2026
Verb
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The keen scent of the fall breeze with its hint of snow now swept down the valley and stung our faces.—
Anton Money,
Outdoor Life,
4 June 2026
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Drivers stung by high gas prices have enjoyed some welcome relief over the last couple of weeks, even as the impact of the Iran war continues to choke off oil supply.—
Max Zahn,
ABC News,
4 June 2026
Verb
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Oklahoma City had beaten them by 15 points on the Spurs’ home court to take a 2-1 series lead, and San Antonio decided to have a closed-door meeting immediately following the game.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
9 June 2026
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Her 2020 win was the first time a challenger beat a sitting councilmember in 17 years.—
Jay Stahl,
USA Today,
8 June 2026
Verb
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Archer hit Vertical Aerospace with a patent infringement suit, claiming the British air taxi maker ripped off its Midnight aircraft.—
Samantha Subin,
CNBC,
29 May 2026
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So how many pitchers have ripped off a five-game save-start-save-start-save stretch when the saves were real saves?—
Jayson Stark,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
Verb
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Everyone can relate to a character waiting for a phone call, or a text, that feeling of being stuck in a purgatorial gap that won’t end until the other person has made contact.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 June 2026
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Outside the arena, reactions were mixed after Trump waved through his tinted window to the crowds stuck behind the barricades across the street.—
Dan Adler,
Vanity Fair,
9 June 2026
Verb
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Tracy acknowledged that the recovery hasn’t gone as smoothly as expected, but emphasized that isn’t because of anything Anthony’s done wrong.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
30 May 2026
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Unfortunately for the Trojans, Texas State wasn’t done yet.—
Jose de Jesus Ortiz,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shaken down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shaken%20down. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
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