Thesaurus results for SHAKING DOWN

shaking down

verb

present participle of shake down

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

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 shaking down This brainstorm is aimed at shaking down travel booking platforms. — Susan Shelley, Daily News, 13 May 2026 The city hired a second firm to represent Watts, as the city was legally responsible for covering legal judgments against him despite his federal prison sentence for shaking down a drug courier. — Joe Mahr, Chicago Tribune, 29 Mar. 2026 And that’s important, especially as players age, because teams like the Dolphins seize on shaking down injured, or underperforming talent. — Miami Herald, 26 Dec. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shaking down

Verb

Written and rendered by dudes who longed for unlimited success, these are songs about cheating and being cheated on and trying but failing to be content, or love as lived amid capitalist indulgence.

— Grayson Haver Currin, Pitchfork, 30 Aug. 2026
In this case, the reward was solving the ExploitGym questions and the hacking was literally hacking—cheating on the test and then hacking into Hugging Face in an effort to cover up the cheating (more on that below).

— Emily Forlini, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of cheating

Verb

Some baby hummingbirds disguise themselves as caterpillars with stinging hairs to avoid predators, while octopus, squid, and cuttlefish use camouflage to blend in with their surroundings and hide.

— Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 10 Sep. 2026
How to prevent wasps, hornets, and yellow jackets Proactive maintenance can keep stinging insects from setting up home on your property.

— Nick Perry, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of stinging

Verb

Weiss has been reworking CBS News’ broadcast lineup, plucking Tony Dokoupil from the program for the Evening News slot, and most recently overhauling 60 Minutes under new executive producer Nick Bilton.

— Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2026
The streamer has found its leading lady for the biopic, plucking an unknown first-timer to play the sertanejo icon.

— Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of plucking

Verb

Besides Instagram hustling and scouring job boards, entrepreneurial editors find gigs when creators call out for help.

— Andrew Zucker, HollywoodReporter, 7 Aug. 2026
Devers, who finished with three hits, eschewed his power for small ball in the fifth, laying down a surprise bunt for a single, then hustling home on Susac’s sacrifice fly.

— Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 31 July 2026

Definition of hustling

Verb

The Pigeon River tore through her trailer at another mobile home park during Helene, ripping off the siding so passersby could see through her entire house.

— Ren Larson, ProPublica, 2 Sep. 2026
This isn’t the first time Musk has been accused of ripping off the smaller companies that helped build his business empire.

— Frank Landymore, Futurism, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of ripping off

Verb

The most improbable player to win a spot on the Miami’s 53 man roster didn’t merely defy the odds by sticking as an undrafted rookie, the only one of more than a dozen Dolphins to do that.

— Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2026
Continue to cook, agitating eggs and occasionally shaking pan and running spatula underneath to ensure eggs aren’t sticking, until surface of eggs looks somewhat set but still slightly shiny, about 30 seconds more.

— Rebecca Firkser, Bon Appetit Magazine, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of sticking

Verb

Rashford enticed the Ukrainian, then drove past him on the outside, further beating Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall in the area, forcing James Tarkowski to slide in to concede a corner.

— Laurie Whitwell, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Both teams are coming off dominant albeit unremarkable opening games after beating FCS opponents at home.

— PJ Green September 8, Kansas City Star, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of beating

Browse Nearby Words

shaking a leg

shaking down

shaking (off)

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“Shaking down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shaking%20down. Accessed 14 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of shaking down

verb

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