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

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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
  1. plucked
  2. cheated
  3. squeezed
  4. stung
  5. hustled
  6. stuck
  7. beat
  8. screwed
Verb
  • The spa The on-site spa could never be a flashy, luxury spa plucked from any random resort.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Echoing his sentiment, Hinata’s hiking trails are full of nature scenes practically plucked from a storybook.
    — Madeline Bilis, Travel + Leisure, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of plucked
Verb
  • However, the models essentially cheated by attempting to access the open internet, thereby bypassing the isolated test environment.
    — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 21 July 2026
  • In 2014, Russia was proven to have cheated in the Sochi Olympic Games.
    — Katie Uhlaender OutKick, FOXNews.com, 20 July 2026
Definition of cheated
Verb
  • Denmark is being squeezed from both sides of the NATO alliance.
    — Max Grinstein, The Washington Examiner, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Space food is changing Early astronauts squeezed puréed food from tubes.
    — Sundeep Venkatesan, The Conversation, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of squeezed
Verb
  • The pair were stung more than 150 times each and airlifted to the hospital.
    — Raven Brunner, PEOPLE, 2 Aug. 2026
  • The lionfish's poisonous spikes can badly hurt anyone who’s stung.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 30 July 2026
Definition of stung
Verb
  • The over-all technical director, Oscar Lopez, whose day job entails managing events at Resorts World, hustled crews carefully among setups and sites.
    — Paige Williams, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026
  • During a break Saturday, Freeling hustled home and caught two episodes before returning to the hotel where the rookies and younger players stay during camp ahead of curfew.
    — Joseph Person, New York Times, 27 July 2026
Definition of hustled
Verb
  • These new provisions have been met with skepticism from human rights groups, including fears that deportation centers hosted abroad could morph into long-term holding facilities overflowing with asylum seekers stuck in legal limbo.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Bad cops are not being fired, and good cops who may be wrongfully accused are stuck in professional purgatory.
    — Sam Charles, Chicago Tribune, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of stuck
Verb
  • So there’s something really cathartic about watching Ulf — the lowliest, most base, comedic and ludicrous of all the Targaryens and dragonriders — beating him.
    — Matt Minton, Variety, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Crowley urged Democrats to come together after the primary to beat Tiffany.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of beat
Verb
  • Because we've been screwed by tariffs used against us for years.
    — Tiago Ventura, Time, 6 Aug. 2026
  • The strength would be identical even though the four 2x6s are not glued or screwed together.
    — Tim Carter, Hartford Courant, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of screwed

Browse Nearby Words

shook a leg
shook down
shook (off)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Shook down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shook%20down. Accessed 10 Aug. 2026.

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