as in cheating
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shaking down
Verb
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Regarding the subject of cheating and whether students might use AI to write essays, edX told Fortune that GradyAI has cheating detection built into its algorithms that can be turned on or off depending on the application.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
15 Oct. 2025 -
But his $20 million contract gave the Guardians two more years of club options at $10 million each, which seemed to be a bargain until the cheating scandal emerged.—
Peter Chawaga,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Record high inflation and a weak yen are also squeezing households and driving up living costs.—
Hanako Montgomery,
CNN Money,
11 Oct. 2025
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All the while, overall streaming growth has slowed in recent years, squeezing artists’ margins even further.—
Jeff Ihaza,
Rolling Stone,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The production was plagued by hurricanes, tsunami warnings, stinging jellyfish and several injuries — including Costner, who almost died while riding out a storm stranded atop a mast after his safety line had snapped.—
Peter Kiefer,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Oct. 2025
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Andreas Helmersen hit the bar while Patrick Berg’s stinging effort was saved by Guglielmo Vicario.—
Jay Harris,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Helicopters have been plucking people off rooftops for rescue from flooding and structural damage.—
Andrew Freedman,
CNN Money,
14 Oct. 2025
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With the Giants plucking concepts from Ole Miss’ offense, Dart’s comfort level was obvious.—
Dan Duggan,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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From rushing out of the office to get party-ready, or hustling through the airport and reuniting with loved ones, to finally arriving at a glamorous night out with friends, each scene conveys merriment and personal style set against the backdrop of New York City.—
Lisa Lockwood,
Footwear News,
14 Oct. 2025
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Alongside her siblings, one of her first moments hustling was selling drinks to visitors who were on vacation.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Albertini definitely leaned into the fireworks, ripping off a series of high notes as YOSHIHANAA matched her power with equally hard-hitting tones that had Snoop jumping in his red chair.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
14 Oct. 2025
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Meanwhile, the Lions keep ripping off wins.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
12 Oct. 2025
Verb
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If the plane ticket is part of the surprise, sticking it inside one of the compartments scores 10s across the board in terms of presentation.—
Audrey Lee,
Architectural Digest,
15 Oct. 2025
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James later shared the ad on social media with winking and tongue-sticking-out emojis; much of his audience, however, was not so amused, and one lifelong fan even sued.—
Robert Abitbol,
USA Today,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Oh, 6-0 Georgia Tech’s right on the cusp of the bracket (after beating 2-5 Virginia Tech 35-20)?—
Alex Kirshner,
New York Times,
12 Oct. 2025
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With a make on the second, Duke won by five, miraculously beating the spread of 4 1/2, per Andrew’s telling.—
Paul Solotaroff,
Rolling Stone,
12 Oct. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Shaking down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shaking%20down. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
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