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 This brainstorm is aimed at shaking down travel booking platforms. — Susan Shelley, Daily News, 13 May 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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shaking down
  1. cheating
  2. squeezing
  3. stinging
  4. plucking
  5. hustling
  6. ripping off
  7. sticking
  8. beating
Verb
  • And using what looks like a giant pile of gerbil food for half-day cooking projects just feels like cheating.
    — Noah Kaufman, Bon Appetit Magazine, 1 July 2026
  • The chapters moved from crime rates to cheating teachers to drug dealers living with their mothers, linking unlikely variables with a kind of intellectual mischief that felt almost illicit.
    — Alexander Puutio, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
Definition of cheating
Verb
  • The same rules reshaping the car are squeezing the independent aftermarket out of the picture.
    — Sarwant Singh, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
  • Energy prices soared, squeezing Americans already frustrated by the high cost of living.
    — Paul Wiseman, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026
Definition of squeezing
Verb
  • Significant stinging insect infestations like wasps and carpenter bees may also require a specialized plan that isn’t included in your general pest control service.
    — Alora Bopray, USA Today, 1 July 2026
  • These stinging insects are black with yellow or white bands and are bigger than bees and yellow jackets.
    — Michelle Mastro, Martha Stewart, 29 June 2026
Definition of stinging
Verb
  • As with the studio version, the track began with Lifeson plucking out a delicate intro on a nylon-string guitar before blasting into monster electric riffs.
    — Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 14 June 2026
  • Vogue’s beauty shopping editor Kiana Murden became a devotee after plucking it from the beauty closet and using it religiously.
    — Jenny Berg, Vogue, 10 June 2026
Definition of plucking
Verb
  • Langford was injured during Friday’s game after hustling on a double.
    — Cal Phillips June 29, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 June 2026
  • Letting go of the idea that success requires hustling at all costs — and replacing it with goals that feel attainable — can help founders shift toward a more sustainable approach, one where progress doesn't come at the cost of their well-being.
    — Holly Eve, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026
Definition of hustling
Verb
  • The small pockets of Egyptian fans in the stadium went absolutely berserk, jumping and ripping off their shirts as their team went bonkers below them.
    — Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 7 July 2026
  • George Lopez and Joe Rogan are among those to accuse Mencia of ripping off their material, with Rogan and Mencia even once getting into a public confrontation over the matter.
    — Derek Lawrence, Entertainment Weekly, 18 June 2026
Definition of ripping off
Verb
  • Perrineau is weary, if not quite as wrecked as the car sticking halfway out of the far wall.
    — Josh Wigler, HollywoodReporter, 6 July 2026
  • The banana leaf acts as a protective barrier, preventing the salmon from sticking or drying out during the slow roast.
    — Staff, FOXNews.com, 3 July 2026
Definition of sticking
Verb
  • Switzerland topped Group B ahead of co-host Canada after beating Les Rouges 2-1 in its final group game, which came after an emphatic 4-1 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina and a 1-1 draw against Qatar in its opener.
    — Ben Church, CNN Money, 7 July 2026
  • The host won the opening match by an innings and 217 runs and needs only a draw to claim its first series win in the World Test Championship since beating Bangladesh in the Caribbean in 2022.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 July 2026
Definition of beating

Browse Nearby Words

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

Cite this Entry

“Shaking down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shaking%20down. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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