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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shaking down
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
Miami Herald, 26 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shaking down
Verb
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Billionaire Ronald Burkle is suing political power-broker Darius Anderson, accusing his former protégé and friend of cheating him out of millions of dollars.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
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An Arsenal throw-in on their right-hand side, in the 14th minute, prompts chants of ‘Same old Arsenal, always cheating’ as the clock ticks away.—
Stuart James,
New York Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Other business leaders have trialed, but then dialed back, four-day work week experiments after seeing the strain of squeezing five days of work into four.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
3 Mar. 2026
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The business has been brutal for the last couple of years — the pandemic, the strikes, the profit squeezing that led to a bunch of reduced production.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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However, even with that stinging loss, Musero’s attorney is riding the wave generated by the lists coming out.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
10 Mar. 2026
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Chancellor Friedrich Merz suffered a setback when his conservatives lost a regional election to the Greens, a stinging blow for the unpopular German leader compounded by a jump in support for the far right.—
Michael Nienaber,
Bloomberg,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Archive footage viewed on old VHS tapes and Super-8 film reveals that Cook was a talented and charismatic musician, plucking away at his Gibson while singing blues standards or original material.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
19 Feb. 2026
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Broten remembers Pavelich plucking his guitar and singing Neil Young songs on bus rides.—
Stephen Whyno,
Twin Cities,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Those were full-time pharmacists, realtors and teachers hustling across Olympic ice for Team USA.—
Lisa Gutierrez,
Kansas City Star,
27 Feb. 2026
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How does Mick Cronin survive this, sending his own player off the court after hustling hard on defense to get a piece of the ball but unfortunately too much contact and drew a foul.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Japan stays perfect Team Japan wrapped up pool play undefeated early Tuesday morning, ripping off nine runs in the bottom of the eighth to beat Czechia 9-0.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
10 Mar. 2026
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After her friend left, Sprunk allegedly tried ripping off the woman's clothes.—
Nick Lentz,
CBS News,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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While standard cast iron typically requires seasoning to both preserve and maintain its quality and help prevent food from sticking, this cast iron is equipped with a black matte satin interior enamel coating that’s made to resist cracking, chipping, and staining.—
Alicia Geigel,
Southern Living,
10 Mar. 2026
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Hanson continued to cause problems for Christensen — now at Barcelona — by sticking diligently to his left flank duties, and Filipe Morais levelled the score 15 minutes from time.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Alajuelense returned the favor, beating LAFC 2-1 at BMO Stadium a week later, but that wasn’t enough to prevent the Black & Gold from continuing on the road to finishing runners-up to León.—
Josh Gross,
Daily News,
10 Mar. 2026
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Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen (4) celebrates after beating Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Arvid Soderblom (40) for the game-winning goal during overtime in an NHL hockey game at the American Airlines Center on Sunday, March 8, 2026, in Dallas.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
9 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shaking down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shaking%20down. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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