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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Some people like to vote on election day, said Dianne Clinkscale from Dallas, arguing that the county’s voters got cheated out their right on to vote.—
Harrison Mantas,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
4 Mar. 2026
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Visitors to the sites at Independence Park were cheated when they were cut off from facts that enable us to imagine ourselves in the lives of those who lived and worked there.—
Carol Quillen,
Time,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Other creative directors packed their show spaces, recalling a bygone frenzied atmosphere wheren attendees craned their necks and squeezed into standing room spaces not to get that perfect iPhone shot but because the ideas were so exhilerating.—
Rachel Tashjian,
CNN Money,
12 Mar. 2026
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The middle class is being squeezed, in more ways than one.—
Phaedra Trethan,
USA Today,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Suffice it to say, my salmon and avocado toast could have been made with stuff caught and plucked that day.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
14 Mar. 2026
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Moss is one of two employees that Virco, a school-furniture maker known for its colorful plastic classroom chairs, plucked from other departments for three-year apprenticeships in tool and die.—
Andrea Hsu,
NPR,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Facing such a talent deficit against a full-strength Knicks team, every turnover stung for the longtime coach.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
16 Mar. 2026
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Getting fired had clearly stung, but his love for Orlando had not faded.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Stanford beat Minnesota and Colorado during the non-conference slate earlier this season.—
Laurence Miedema,
Mercury News,
17 Mar. 2026
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Acuña grounded to the shortstop hole and beat Antonacci’s throw from the outfield grass as pinch-runner Andrés Giménez scored.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Some names had been ripped off the lobby marquee, but were still billing Medicare from that address.—
William La Jeunesse,
FOXNews.com,
13 Mar. 2026
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Don't count on an open scrimmage everywhere Several notable programs are declining to go back to the way things were now that the proverbial Band-Aid has been ripped off.—
David Eckert,
Austin American Statesman,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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With a defense-first lineup stuck on the floor and no opportunity to advance the ball, the Nuggets had no choice but to settle for a 60-foot prayer by Gordon at the buzzer.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
10 Mar. 2026
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One of the problems with attracting qualified teachers is tied to a retirement system stuck in the past.—
Mark Batinick,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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With Luna gliding into your ever-practical 6th house, you may be tempted to ignore your inner needs in favor of getting as much done as possible.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
14 Mar. 2026
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And how much of this is done separately?—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
14 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shaken down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shaken%20down. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.
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