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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shakes down
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
Grace Byron, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shakes down
Verb
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As the moon follows an elliptical path, Saturn’s gravity stretches and squeezes it.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Dec. 2025
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View gallery - 12 images This recently completed tiny house squeezes a lot of living space into a compact footprint using clever design.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
27 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Blashill wants the Blackhawks to be a fast-pressure team at both ends of the rink, one that attacks vertically but never cheats for offense.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Even though the defeat stings, all the Hurricanes’ goals are still there for the taking.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
19 Oct. 2025
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But for Hovland, the lingering frustration of missing Sunday singles and watching Harris English sit out for no fault of his own still stings.—
Devlina Sarkar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Suddenly, Jeff Parker plucks a sighing six-note guitar run, dropping his shoulders into a solo section that carries the tune to its swooning conclusion.—
Dash Lewis,
Pitchfork,
20 Dec. 2025
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As Natalie walks away from Shayne, possibly for good, and as Venus and some entity named Gabby lunge for each other, Katie Maloney Schwartz Maloney plucks out her earbuds, pulls her sunglasses off her cunty little bob, closes her copy of The Shards, and packs up her bag.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
17 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Outerlands stars Dillon as thirtysomething Cass, who hustles jobs as a server, nanny and party drug dealer to make rent on their tiny San Francisco apartment.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
31 Oct. 2025
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While everyone else hustles about, the sloth knows that in slowness there is safety and success.—
Kate Siber,
Outside,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But this has been a glorious year regardless of whether Miami beats the Indiana-Oregon winner or not.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
9 Jan. 2026
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That beats using a garage or carport.—
Glae Thien,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Research in habit formation consistently shows that behavior sticks when it is tied to context cues, environment and routine rather than motivation alone.—
Dana Santas,
CNN Money,
1 Jan. 2026
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Let’s hope the finale sticks the landing.—
Savannah Salazar,
Vulture,
30 Dec. 2025
Verb
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The leader of these superheroes rips off his protective visor and unleashes a catastrophic optic blast.—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shakes down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shakes%20down. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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