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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This isn’t the first time that the couple was surrounded by cheating rumors.—
Lea Veloso,
StyleCaster,
30 Sep. 2025 -
She and Jon, who married in 1999, divorced in 2009, the same year as the cheating rumors.—
Carson Blackwelder,
PEOPLE,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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But, to do you any good, squeezing the veins must propel the blood in the right direction, toward the heart.—
Bryant Stamford,
Louisville Courier Journal,
2 Oct. 2025
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The earbuds are controlled by squeezing the stem.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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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
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These pretty pink jellyfish are carnivorous and have stinging tentacles that can reach up to 70 feet long.—
Meghan Overdeep,
Southern Living,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Simply plucking young stars from viewers’ social-media feeds won’t radically alter or refresh SNL.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
1 Oct. 2025
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Miami is plucking Wilson off the Saints practice squad, likely to fill Hill’s roster spot.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Viral videos captured federal officers arresting people and hustling them into unmarked vehicles.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
5 Oct. 2025
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Instead of hustling for one-day bookings, Patel engineered a system where one client often meant three to five events—maximizing return and loyalty.—
Sindhya Valloppillil,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Even when Osborne dips into country or wraps with a hint of reggae, its songs rip – if only in the sense of ripping off a Band-Aid.—
Joe Lynch,
Billboard,
19 Sep. 2025
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On Tuesday, a Miami federal judge ordered Graham’s immediate surrender to the Bureau of Prisons after sentencing him to seven years for ripping off millions from his mother.—
Jay Weaver,
Miami Herald,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
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But sticking it out ended up being beneficial, because those classmates who laughed at his antics became his first audience.—
Essence,
Essence,
2 Oct. 2025
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China has landed on the Red Planet once, sticking the landing on its first attempt in 2021, setting the Zhurong rover down successfully in southern Utopia Planitia as part of the Tianwen 1 mission.—
Andrew Jones,
Space.com,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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And in 2024, the 6-seed Mets did it (beating the Phillies before losing to the Dodgers in the NLCS).—
Ryan Ford,
Freep.com,
6 Oct. 2025
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Trump has also spoken at length about his concerns about the New York City mayoral race, criticizing the potential election of progressive candidate Zohran Mamdani, who drew national attention for beating former Governor Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary.—
Peter Aitken,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 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 8 Oct. 2025.
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