Thesaurus results for SHAKES DOWN

shakes down

verb

present tense third-person singular of shake down

as in squeezes

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of shakes down The commission shakes down property owners by, say, requiring them to remove structures or give up development rights. — Steven Greenhut, Oc Register, 1 May 2026 Later, Tom pours vodka into a Phillies cup and watches birds flutter by at night while Robbie gets his guns ready and shakes down a trap house. — Grace Byron, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shakes down

Verb

George pounds, folds, and squeezes the dough as Minicuci watches.

— HubSpot, HubSpot, 30 Oct. 2026
When the user presses their finger on the part of the patch that contains the wet fabric, the pressure squeezes the water out of the material, down one of the microfluidic channels, and into the foaming agent chamber.

— Ben Coxworth October 23, New Atlas, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of squeezes

Verb

The move, orchestrated by Everett to satisfy the demands of the company’s top-dollar backers, cheats Michael out of his stock options and equity in the company.

— Senior Television, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
Any forward who cheats for defence, as Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has for much of his career, will play an elevated role on a Babcock team.

— Allan Mitchell, New York Times, 26 June 2026

Definition of cheats

Verb

Trump sometimes plucks memes from a sprawling ecosystem of online conservative supporters, and sometimes his government staff produces them as part of their official messaging.

— Josh Boak, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026
His torso and thighs grow eye-poppingly muscular beneath their skimpy fur-and-leather togs—a development that does not go unnoticed by a warrior named Red Hair, who plucks the young hunk from his post and tosses him into the prime time of the gladiator pit.

— Naomi Fry, New Yorker, 15 June 2026

Definition of plucks

Verb

Jessica Gonzalez hustles behind her booth at the recent Renegade Craft Fair, frantically ringing up sales, answering questions and packaging her beeswax candles.

— Lisa Boone, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026
Despite concerns that chip stocks could be topping out as the industry hustles to boost supply, Wall Street thinks Micron still has plenty of room to run.

— Tobias Burns, CNBC, 22 June 2026

Definition of hustles

Verb

Instead of the cartoon alien who loves Oreos and beats up other alien bad guys, this run turns John Jones (FKA J'onn J'onnz) into an FBI agent who survives a suicide bombing and merges with an alien entity.

— Cooper Katz McKim, NPR, 6 Nov. 2026
The Magic 9 also beats the 17 Pro Max in sharpness and color reproduction.

— Kimberly Gedeon, PC Magazine, 5 Nov. 2026

Definition of beats

Verb

Raleek Brown rips off a 32-yard touchdown run, which is the second-longest run by a Longhorn this season behind a 45-yard run by Hollywood Smothers.

— Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 17 Oct. 2026
When the woman exits, her assailant throws her to the ground, rips off her clothes and overpowers her.

— Peter Debruge, Variety, 24 Jan. 2026

Definition of rips off

Browse Nearby Words

shakes a leg

shakes down

shakes (off)

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“Shakes down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shakes%20down. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of shakes down

verb

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