Thesaurus results for SHOOK DOWN

shook down

verb

past tense of shake down

as in plucked

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

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 shook down Bernthal played the real-life Baltimore policeman Wayne Jenkins, who led a crew of officers who shook down people for cash and drugs. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 16 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shook down

Verb

Her words, as if plucked from a Sunday morning sermon, speak to the source of her strength.

— Nicole Avery Nichols, Freep.com, 11 Sep. 2026
Other items were plucked from antique stores and flea markets around the globe.

— Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of plucked

Verb

The producers’ suit appeared to sputter out in 2022, when a judge ruled that they were not cheated out of profits and that AMC had sued a standard definition.

— Gene Maddaus, Variety, 8 Sep. 2026
The Times has interviewed more than a dozen clients and investors who said they were cheated by Holdo.

— Alene Tchekmedyian, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of cheated

Verb

Add in Braxton Berrios, the Giants’ punt returner and backup slot receiver, and that squeezed Slayton out.

— Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 7 Sep. 2026
Independent designers, once a discovery engine, were being squeezed, while the biggest brands put more investment into their own stores, creating a dichotomy in experiences that Bron felt was palpable.

— Hilary Milnes, Vogue, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of squeezed

Verb

Two years is a long time in the NFL, yet that wild-card loss to the Philadelphia Eagles still stung in the building.

— Kevin Fishbain, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
By mid-morning, bees continued to fly around as city workers did their best to cut the tree without getting stung or agitating the hives any further.

— Ross Guidotti, CBS News, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of stung

Verb

His play-by-play recall might mention the runner who hustled to beat out a double play or the pitchers who kept it close in the later innings.

— Patrick Mooney, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Facing questions about a totally different set of Piker comments, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez hustled into an elevator.

— Elaine Godfrey, The Atlantic, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of hustled

Verb

Stolen bases often come less from beating a catcher’s throw and more from taking advantage of a pitcher who is either slow to the plate or stuck in a predictable delivery.

— Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
That might have sounded like blasphemy just half a decade ago, but college football is always evolving, and Swinney is a man stuck in time.

— Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of stuck

Verb

The Panthers beat Vanderbilt in coach Dell McGee’s third game as coach in 2024, then lost 17 of their next 18 games against FBS opponents.

— Michael Cunningham, AJC.com, 14 Sep. 2026
Two blue and yellow humanoid robots attempted to beat each other up with punches twice as hard as Mike Tyson’s.

— Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of beat

Verb

Like her, Americans are also so tired of being screwed by an administration that’s not only grossly incompetent and cruel but corrupt as well.

— Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 6 Sep. 2026
My husband recently screwed over his business partner by taking significantly more of the profit for himself.

— Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of screwed

Browse Nearby Words

shook a leg

shook down

shook (off)

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“Shook down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shook%20down. Accessed 15 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of shook down

verb

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