shakedown
noun · adjective
Simple meaning
A trial or test period.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
shaykdownSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈʃeɪkdaʊn
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
slang
A very thorough search of a person or a place
“A shakedown by the police uncovered the drugs.”
slang
Extortion of money (as by blackmail)
slang
A thorough search; a frisk
slang
Extortion, especially through blackmail
A trial or test period, especially of a ship or aircraft.
An improvised bed.
adjective
That tests the performance of a ship or aircraft
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C2 · Proficient (estimated)
- Frequency
- Rare
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A very thorough search of a person or a place
Used this way, shakedown is a common word with a clearly warm, approving pull. It turns up most in everyday conversation and social media or informal writing contexts.
“A shakedown by the police uncovered the drugs.”
- Emotional tone
- Positive
- Formality
- Very casual
- Intensity
- Moderate
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Careful and exacting
- Usage feel
- Playful and informal
Where it naturally appears
- Everyday conversation
- Social media/informal writing
Usage note
Slang: natural in speech and messages between friends, but out of place in school, work or published writing.
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use shakedown
- “The new industry's economic shakedown.”noun
- “A shakedown by the police uncovered the drugs.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.