shakedown

or shake-down

[ sheyk-doun ]

/ ˈʃeɪkˌdaʊn /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for shakedown on Thesaurus.com

noun

extortion, as by blackmail or threats of violence.

a thorough search: a shakedown of prison cells to uncover hidden drugs.

a bed, as of straw or blankets, spread on the floor.

any makeshift bed.

the act or process of shaking down.

Also called shakedown cruise, shakedown flight . a cruise or flight intended to prepare a new vessel or aircraft for regular service by accustoming the crew to its features and peculiarities, breaking in and adjusting machinery, etc.

QUIZ

GOOSES. GEESES. I WANT THIS QUIZ ON PLURAL NOUNS!

Test how much you really know about regular and irregular plural nouns with this quiz.

Question 1 of 9

Which of the following nouns has an irregular plural form?

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of shakedown

First recorded in 1490–1500; noun, adj. use of verb phrase shake down

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use shakedown in a sentence

Clad in a blue, striped button-down, a silver watch adorning his left wrist, Huckabee beams on the cover.
Huckabee 2016: Bend Over and Take It Like a Prisoner!|Olivia Nuzzi|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Even internally in the House, women are not getting their fair shake.
The Unbearable Whiteness of Congress|Dean Obeidallah|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
That article noted that the F-35 does not currently have the ability to down-link live video to ground troops,.
Pentagon Misfires in Stealth Jet Scandal|Dave Majumdar|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
A grand juror in the Ferguson case is suing to be able to explain exactly what went down in the courtroom.
Politicians Only Love Journalists When They're Dead|Luke O’Neil|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST

The gunman then burst from the restaurant and fled down the street with the other man.
Shot Down During the NYPD Slowdown|Michael Daly|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The bride elect rushes up to him, and so they both step down to the foot-lights.
Physiology of The Opera|John H. Swaby (AKA "Scrici")
I take the Extream Bells, and set down the six Changes on them thus.
Tintinnalogia, or, the Art of Ringing|Richard Duckworth and Fabian Stedman
His wife stood smiling and waving, the boys shouting, as he disappeared in the old rockaway down the sandy road.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
So he bore down on the solemn declaration that she stood face to face with a prison term for perjury.
The Bondboy|George W. (George Washington) Ogden
Do not the widow's tears run down the cheek, and her cry against him that causeth them to fall?
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various

British Dictionary definitions for shakedown

shake down

verb (adverb)

to fall or settle or cause to fall or settle by shaking

(tr) US slang to extort money from, esp by blackmail or threats of violence

(tr) US slang to search thoroughly

(tr) informal, mainly US to submit (a vessel, etc) to a shakedown test

(intr) to go to bed, esp to a makeshift bed

(intr) (of a person, animal, etc) to settle down

noun shakedown

US slang a swindle or act of extortion

US slang a thorough search

a makeshift bed, esp of straw, blankets, etc

informal, mainly US

a voyage to test the performance of a ship or aircraft or to familiarize the crew with their duties
(as modifier)a shakedown run

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with shakedown

shake down

Extort money from, as in They had quite a racket, shaking down merchants for so-called protection. [Slang; second half of 1800s]

Make a thorough search of, as in They shook down all the passengers, looking for drugs. [Slang early 1900s]

Subject a new vehicle or machine to a tryout, as in We'll shake down the new model next week.

Become acclimated or accustomed, to a new place, job, or the like, as in Is this your first job? You'll soon shake down. [Mid-1800s]