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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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
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To sum up the series finale’s key moments, in the college timeline, Bree (Cat Missal), in a rage of anger after finding out that Lucy (Grace Van Patten) was the person Evan (Branden Cook) had cheated with, releases the tape of Lucy admitting to lying about being raped.—
Emily Longeretta,
Variety,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The fluctuations hint at an episodic, external source—potentially eruptions from a sort of super-Io satellite being tidally squeezed by its hefty planetary host.—
Phil Plait,
Scientific American,
27 Feb. 2026
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Small businesses, squeezed by the tariffs, may be forced to absorb the loss.—
Phillip Molnar,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Rather than wait on her line tho, Sesno smartly came forward and plucked the ball out of the air before a shot could be taken.—
Clark Fahrenthold,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Feb. 2026
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There was a short period, near the end of a messy, deeply ambiguous night of football at the Parc des Princes, that could have come directly from May 2025, plucked from the timeline and placed here, a little winter gift from the sporting gods.—
Jack Lang,
New York Times,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Further down the supply chain, former Army Ranger Patrick Montgomery, who runs KC Cattle Company, located outside Kansas City, Missouri, has been stung by high prices.—
Bloomberg Wire,
Dallas Morning News,
18 Feb. 2026
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Further down the supply chain, former Army Ranger Patrick Montgomery, who runs KC Cattle Company, located outside Kansas City, Missouri, has been stung by high prices.—
Enda Curran,
Fortune,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Dale Ellis covers the federal courthouse beat for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, reporting on criminal and civil matters that impact Arkansans.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
3 Mar. 2026
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Kawhi Leonard scored 23 points, and the Clippers beat the New Orleans Pelicans 137-117 on Sunday night to end a three-game losing streak.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Cunningham's third foul — in which the junior seemingly got in a good position to deflect a pass to Woolfolk in the second half's opening minutes — drew the ire of Texas coach Vic Schaefer, who ripped off his suit jacket in protest.—
Danny Davis,
Austin American Statesman,
27 Feb. 2026
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The anglers who helped promote Dual Threat Fishing and competed in the league’s first (and only) two tournaments are now saying they were ripped off by DTF.—
Dac Collins,
Outdoor Life,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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But your risk of getting stuck awake between cycles goes up as the night goes on.—
Erica Sloan,
SELF,
24 Feb. 2026
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My own words too are stuck in my throat.—
Sayantani DasGupta
February 24,
Literary Hub,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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And that needs to be done to, to ensure that this program remains peaceful, remains acceptable to the United States and to the Iranians.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 Feb. 2026
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It’s been done pretty damn well for many, many, many decades.—
Mia Galuppo,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shaken down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shaken%20down. Accessed 3 Mar. 2026.
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