pats down

verb

present tense third-person singular of pat down
as in shakes down

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pats down
  1. shakes down
  2. runs down
  3. rifles
  4. finds out
  5. searches
  6. audits
  7. dredges
  8. finds
Verb
  • The commission shakes down property owners by, say, requiring them to remove structures or give up development rights.
    — Steven Greenhut, Oc Register, 1 May 2026
  • Later, Tom pours vodka into a Phillies cup and watches birds flutter by at night while Robbie gets his guns ready and shakes down a trap house.
    — Grace Byron, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2025
Definition of shakes down
Verb
  • The Reds rallied from three runs down in the eighth inning after White Sox starter Sean Burke allowed only one run on three hits in seven innings.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Blood runs down Zack’s chin before his parents swear to tell the truth.
    — JP Mangalindan, Time, 31 July 2026
Definition of runs down
Verb
  • With four minutes until penalties, Spain venture forward, Cesc Fabregas slips in Iniesta, who rifles it home to win the World Cup.
    — Adam Hurrey, New York Times, 17 July 2026
  • Before Poeltl can complete the double-team, Towns looks to the 3-point line then rifles a right-handed pass over his own head to Bridges for the easy two under the rim.
    — Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 11 Apr. 2026
Definition of rifles
Verb
  • Some family members even left the courtroom as Marcelle is heard asking about her children and finds out her son was killed.
    — Tara Lynch, CBS News, 24 June 2026
  • And also God help him if anyone on the island finds out that Evan is the last [descendant].
    — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 17 June 2026
Definition of finds out
Verb
  • Siddhartha At the heart of this novel, which is told in simple, sincere prose, is the spiritual journey of a man named Siddhartha who searches for self-discovery throughout the years of his life.
    — Caroline Rogers, Southern Living, 22 Aug. 2026
  • That idea now sits at the center of Catalyst, Serval's new AI agent, which searches ticket histories for recurring problems, examines the systems a company has connected and determines whether those problems can be automated.
    — Victor Dey, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of searches
Verb
  • As these legal complaints shake out, and UC Davis audits its own processes, former members of UC Davis’ championship-winning equestrian team are figuring out how to move forward.
    — Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 1 July 2026
  • In Cambodia, Indonesia and Vietnam, workers report intimidation, surveillance and firing threats to suppress organizing—all tactics that audits routinely miss.
    — Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 1 Apr. 2026
Definition of audits
Verb
  • To keep the body of water a lake and an effective flood-control tool, Great Parks periodically dredges to remove excess sediment at the bottom of the lake.
    — Matthew Cupelli, Cincinnati Enquirer, 19 Mar. 2026
Definition of dredges
Verb
  • Rosignoli also recommended the Museo Civico Naturalistico-Archeologico in Vicenza, which has finds from Lake Fimon and Teatro Berga, an actual Roman theater that once stood in the city center.
    — Julia Buckley, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Luanne, a beauty-school dropout, finds her voice as a Christian children’s puppeteer.
    — Jordana Rosenfeld, Encyclopedia Britannica, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of finds
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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pats
pats down
patsies
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Cite this Entry

“Pats down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pats%20down. Accessed 28 Aug. 2026.

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