as in to cheat
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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1
as in bunk
Related Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shakedown
Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 14 Apr. 2025
But reps for the billionaire media mogul say the case is nothing but a shakedown.
—Karu F. Daniels, New York Daily News, 17 June 2025
Ronda Racha Penrice, HollywoodReporter, 25 Apr. 2025
Before Clint enters a back-room poker game in the store where the enforcer needs to shake down one of the players, Hank runs down the top five underdog movies of all time.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 6 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shakedown
Verb
Gang leaders had been caught with dozens of contraband phones and used them to run drug rings and order murders, arsons, robberies and shakedowns throughout California and beyond, according to court records.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 14 Apr. 2025
But reps for the billionaire media mogul say the case is nothing but a shakedown.
—Karu F. Daniels, New York Daily News, 17 June 2025
Noun
With limited options to generate money, Ray has the pair pose as DEA agents to shake down small-time drug dealers.
—Ronda Racha Penrice, HollywoodReporter, 25 Apr. 2025
Before Clint enters a back-room poker game in the store where the enforcer needs to shake down one of the players, Hank runs down the top five underdog movies of all time.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 6 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shakedown
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shakedown
Verb
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Business Technology News #5 – Here are 10 ways to use Grok 4 that feel like cheating: AI resources platform God of Prompt listed 10 creative ways to use Grok 4 – xAI’s large language model – on its X feed.—
Gene Marks,
Forbes.com,
20 July 2025
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What People Are Saying Byron's wife, Megan Kerrigan Byron, removed her last name from her Facebook account and later deleted it following the cheating allegations, Page Six reported.—
Megan Cartwright,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 July 2025
Noun
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The names of previous detainees were carved onto the mental bunks.—
Juwayriah Wright,
Time,
15 July 2025
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He was told to sit on his bunk for the count, an interminable process that involved tallying every prisoner on the farm, from the men locked down in solitary cells to those wrangling cattle in far‑flung fields.—
Literary Hub
July 8,
Literary Hub,
8 July 2025
Noun
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Learn all aspects of your business, learn from others, learn from trial and error.—
Steve Metsch,
Chicago Tribune,
22 July 2025
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Because different things trigger perioral dermatitis in different people, prevention and treatment often comes down to a lot of trial and error.—
Marci Robin,
Allure,
18 July 2025
Noun
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Oleksandr Dmitriev, the founder of a Ukrainian system that centralizes feeds from thousands of drone crews across the frontline, told Reuters the outage was an example of the shortcomings of relying on cloud services for military operations, particularly battlefield drone reconnaissance.—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
25 July 2025
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But in reality, airplanes were used for guidance, observation and reconnaissance, aiding ground troops far more often than fighting other aviators in the sky.—
Lillian Ali,
Smithsonian Magazine,
25 July 2025
Verb
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Then, squeeze your Magic Eraser a few times to activate the foaming bubbles.—
Daley Quinn,
Southern Living,
20 July 2025
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When cold fronts and other weather systems come along, that moisture can get wrung out, like squeezing a water-laden sponge, yielding heavy and often highly localized downpours.—
Andrew Freedman,
CNN Money,
20 July 2025
Noun
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Walks in the woods, scenic drives, birdwatching, hammock snoozes, picnics and stargazing should all be on the agenda.—
Michael Salerno,
AZCentral.com,
25 July 2025
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The hammock, which is hand-spun using organic materials, sans dyes and toxins.—
Blake Bakkila,
Architectural Digest,
22 July 2025
Noun
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While the former Boise Young Rider Development Squad members are going wheel to wheel against the best in the world in Europe, the next generation of BYRDS cyclists put their skills to the test at the 38th annual criterium on Saturday in downtown Boise.—
Rachel Roberts,
Idaho Statesman,
20 July 2025
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Many scouts were concerned by Cooper’s score of 11 on the 50-question Wonderlic test.—
Rob Reischel,
Forbes.com,
20 July 2025
Noun
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Police also found luxury goods and clothing, not limited to jewelry, high-end handbags and sports memorabilia, in their search of storage units owned by Nezhinskiy in New Jersey.—
Zach Powell,
New York Times,
20 July 2025
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As of early Sunday morning local time, search and rescue efforts remained underway for those who are still missing, according to state media outlet Vietnamnet.—
Eve Brennan,
CNN Money,
20 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shakedown.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shakedown. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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