shakedown

American  

[sheyk-doun] / ˈʃeɪkˌdaʊn /

Or shake-down

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.

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Etymology

Origin of shakedown

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

Example Sentences

The firm was flayed in 2018 by federal Judge Royce C. Lamberth of Washington, D.C., for engaging in what he labeled a “high-tech shakedown ... smacking of extortion.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 18, 2026

This loan-blocking exercise may be a shakedown ploy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026

Aston Martin also missed almost two full days of last month's Barcelona shakedown.

From Barron's • Feb. 20, 2026

One major question is to what extent China sees visits by the likes of Starmer as part of a bigger geopolitical shakedown?

From BBC • Jan. 28, 2026

“Would that be what they call a nervous shakedown, madam?”

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White

Related Words

• blackmail