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 On Thursday, Diamantis will be sentenced for crimes associated with shaking down contractors on four school building projects in three municipalities — Hartford, New Britain and and Tolland. — Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 14 Sep. 2026 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

With all respect to West’s previous cheating-on-television canon, War might be his finest adulterous work.

— Elise Taylor, Vanity Fair, 24 Oct. 2026
Wood was vindicated three years later, when a league investigation revealed the Astros had been cheating in 2017, stealing signs from a television monitor next to the dugout and relaying them to batters by banging on trash cans.

— Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of cheating

Verb

The remarks followed the release of strong quarterly results, with revenue and earnings beating analysts’ expectations despite a 6% downturn in revenue due to pressure squeezing all broadband purveyors.

— Dade Hayes, Deadline, 22 Oct. 2026
Fuel expenses are squeezing daily household budgets and tightening cash flow toward the end of the month, with reports indicating a growing number of French employees are requesting payroll advances to manage month end expenses.

— , CNBC, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of squeezing

Verb

The sweeping defeat exacted by Democrats on Tuesday is a stinging rebuke to those efforts, says Colette Delawalla, founder and CEO of advocacy group Stand Up for Science.

— Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 4 Nov. 2026
Harvester ants defend themselves using neurotoxic venom that causes intense, long-lasting, stinging pain in mammals.

— RJ Mackenzie, Popular Science, 1 Nov. 2026

Definition of stinging

Verb

According to a case report published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the doctors gave the man a topical treatment to numb his eyes and then began plucking out the worms one by one with fine forceps.

— Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 26 Oct. 2026
Pai Skincare Bright Now Exfoliating Toner, $49 Organic is not as simple as plucking some flowers and putting them on your face.

— Brianna Peters, Vogue, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of plucking

Verb

That urgency has marked Holden’s prolific output—especially the thrilling first installment of his Supreme Magnetic series in 2025 and 2022’s Joe Frog—as the Harlem rapper uses his street-hustling past to paint an autobiographical portrait.

— Matthew Ritchie, Pitchfork, 15 Oct. 2026
The 30-second teaser sees Jackson hustling around town, making money and recruiting his team of crooks.

— Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of hustling

Verb

The acrobatic routine rushed to a conclusion with Johnson grabbing Shum and ripping off his tie, sending the actor crashing to the ground, convulsing, as each attempt to get up was met by his partner repeatedly shoving him down with her foot.

— Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 28 Oct. 2026
Luca screenwriter Simon Stephenson has sued Alexander Payne for copyright infringement, accusing the director of ripping off his screenplay enroute to writing the Oscar-winning movie The Holdovers.

— Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of ripping off

Verb

Along with being a calf-sticking impostor, Conrad, according to Hemingway, was a malicious defamer.

— Stephen Bates, New Yorker, 22 Oct. 2026
The Turkish and Yemeni traditions that incorporate cloves give the current trend a cultural anchor that pure wellness fads typically lack, which may be part of why this one is sticking.

— Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of sticking

Verb

At least Florida can point to Ole Miss and Texas, but the Gamecocks jumped into the top 25 after beating a very mediocre Oklahoma team.

— Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 3 Nov. 2026
The Falcons advanced to the second round last year after beating Berlin the first round.

— Lori Riley, Hartford Courant, 3 Nov. 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 6 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of shaking down

verb

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