shakedown

Or shake-down

[sheyk-doun]

noun

1. extortion, as by blackmail or threats of violence.

2. a thorough search.

   a shakedown of prison cells to uncover hidden drugs.

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

4. any makeshift bed.

5. the act or process of shaking down.

6. Also called shakedown flight. Also called shakedown cruise,. 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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of shakedown¹

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

Example Sentences

We were on the Xcel for its “shakedown cruise,” a final test run new ships often go through before making their public debuts.

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According to authorities, this was an old-fashioned shakedown carried out by the largest gang in the city, Pomona 12th Street.

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Apparently, the easiest shakedown targets are single people.

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Next time he'd be dead, the gunman told him, unless the bus company paid a shakedown.

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The producer’s legal team quickly denied the allegations last October and dismissed the complaint as a “pure shakedown.”

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Related Words

• blackmail