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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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

In all, designing, building and assembling the horse involved a team of 45, not much less than the number of men on Odysseus’ ship (and roughly the same amount on board after the Cyclops and Scylla monsters had plucked off a few).

— Alex Ritman, Variety, 13 July 2026
Sweet and simple, these lemon motifs look plucked straight from a European grocer along the Amalfi coast.

— Ariel Wodarcyk, InStyle, 13 July 2026

Definition of plucked

Verb

In 2014, Russia was proven to have cheated in the Sochi Olympic Games.

— Katie Uhlaender OutKick, FOXNews.com, 20 July 2026
Although receipt of the letter does not indicate that someone definitively cheated, an unspecified number of cases have been referred to district attorneys for prosecution, the spokesperson said.

— Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026

Definition of cheated

Verb

Tournament football isn’t generally conducive to pressing, with so many matches squeezed into such a short window, and without the cohesion that comes from club sides training together for months.

— Michael Cox, New York Times, 22 July 2026
My problem is the kart path along the road has 3 or so feet of grass between it and the road, then suddenly the grass narrows and is eventually gone before going over the bridge and everything is squeezed together.

— Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 20 July 2026

Definition of squeezed

Verb

With one hour to collect their gear and pack the school bus taking them to Miami Gardens, the kids hustled to get ready to make their World Cup debut.

— Michael Butler, Miami Herald, 11 July 2026
Angela George The program's pacing and energy feel hustled this evening as organizers try to make up for two hours lost because of storms earlier in the day.

— Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 3 July 2026

Definition of hustled

Verb

That’s highly unlikely considering Lestat and Louis were steps away from getting back together before they were beheaded and had spared only a small moment to reckon with her spending an eternity stuck in purgatory without Madeleine (Roxane Duran).

— Sabrina Reed, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
The Texas players kicked our bats, yelled at our girls, stuck their tongues out, threw the ball in the air after every inning and on and on.

— Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 20 July 2026

Definition of stuck

Verb

Thus, the outright majority of American voters, the Independents, get royally screwed again in favor of folks who represent about a quarter of Americans, thanks to the Supreme Court’s decision.

— Gary Franks, Hartford Courant, 6 July 2026
Last year, Katz filmed a video of his new protégé shucking oysters, chopping wood, swinging kettlebells, and speaking directly to the camera in a muddy sweatshirt about how the oligarchy had screwed their beloved state.

— Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 6 July 2026

Definition of screwed

Browse Nearby Words

shook a leg

shook down

shook (off)

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Shook down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shook%20down. Accessed 23 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of shook down

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

maverick

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

Popular in Wordplay

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Games & Quizzes