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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
  1. squeezes
  2. cheats
  3. stings
  4. plucks
  5. hustles
  6. beats
  7. sticks
  8. rips off
Verb
  • People’s financial margin for error is generally pretty small, and just the rising cost of most everything just squeezes them more and more.
    — Paul Wiseman, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Avoiding outlier squeezes requires implementing strict criteria before entering trades.
    — David Capablanca, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of squeezes
Verb
  • 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
  • Though Lesnar rarely cheats to win, Femi isn’t going to lose clean.
    — Blake Oestriecher, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026
Definition of cheats
Verb
  • The pain of losing Hollywood actor Heath Ledger nearly 20 years ago still stings for his on-screen Dark Knight family.
    — Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Sep. 2026
  • There is a feeling of humiliation that stings long after an event has passed.
    — Wilbert L. Cooper, Longreads, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of stings
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
  • Reacher beats mercenaries about the head with a bowling pin and a bowling trophy.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026
  • The Minnesota Vikings, the newest NFL franchise, beats the league’s oldest franchise, the Chicago Bears, 37-13 win in the season opener.
    — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of beats
Verb
  • Joy walks by to get into the walk-in fridge and sticks her tongue out at Gen’s back.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2026
  • In any case, the epilogue sticks the landing and allows audiences to leave the theater feeling riled up rather than hopeless.
    — Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of sticks
Verb
  • When the woman exits, her assailant throws her to the ground, rips off her clothes and overpowers her.
    — Peter Debruge, Variety, 24 Jan. 2026
  • The leader of these superheroes rips off his protective visor and unleashes a catastrophic optic blast.
    — Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Jan. 2026
Definition of rips off

Browse Nearby Words

shakes a leg
shakes down
shakes (off)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

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

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