shake-down

A form of shakedown — Extortion, especially through blackmail

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Meanings

nounshake-down (plural shake-downs)

plural shake-downs

  1. alternativeAlternative spelling of shakedown.

Origin

Deverbal from shake down.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

shake-down. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shake-down

MLA

“shake-down.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shake-down. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “shake-down,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shake-down.

Source: shake-down on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.