blackmail

verb

Definition of blackmailnext
as in to threaten
to use blackmail against (someone) The old man was being blackmailed by his nephew.

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of blackmail An announcement that is taking the blame game to great heights or lows, depending on your POV and who is blackmailing who — to paraphrase Bonta banger of earlier this week. — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 14 Aug. 2026 Group members will often blackmail victims by threatening to make swatting calls at their home address and have also been known to coerce minors into placing swatting calls themselves. — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 8 Aug. 2026 Irene has blackmailed the Bohemian royal family, Carrie is a thief who has stolen rare stamps from a penniless woman unaware of their value, and Fanny disguises as a man to gain access to a bank vault. — Literary Hub, 24 July 2026 In the past, models from OpenAI and other providers were theoretically shown to be capable of blackmailing users to prevent shutdowns. — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 20 July 2026 Some students discovered the account and blackmailed Nichols into giving them better grades, the warrant states. — Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 2 July 2026 Before work, Geri heads off to question Joyce Tercek, the Yale admissions lady that Dennis blackmailed in the elevator a few episodes ago. — Erin Qualey, Vulture, 1 July 2026 However, the politics are complicated as Long Feng (Chin Han) tries to keep the Earth King from knowing about the war and is eventually blackmailed into corruption by the Fire Nation princess, Azula (Elizabeth Yu). — Skyler Trepel, PEOPLE, 26 June 2026 He was never blackmailed by Epstein. — Graham Kates, CBS News, 26 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blackmail
  1. threaten
  2. squeeze
  3. drive
  4. extort
  5. impress
  6. coerce
  7. force
Verb
  • Batteries can store electricity, but extreme cold can threaten sensitive electronics and other critical hardware.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Its crisis – along with those of other property giants – has been at the heart of a wider Chinese real-estate shock that has tested the world’s second-largest economy and threatened to spark a global contagion effect.
    — Sylvie Zhuang, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of threaten
Verb
  • Questions no longer centre on marking this era with a trophy, but on how much juice is left to squeeze.
    — Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
  • To protect a specific area, such as a garden, Parker recommends properly installing snake fencing made from quarter-inch hardware cloth, which can help keep even newborn copperheads from squeezing through.
    — Rachel Silva, Martha Stewart, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of squeeze
Verb
  • Recordings of Rajab’s call with paramedics gained international attention, driving calls for accountability for her killing and that of thousands of other children in Gaza.
    — Oren Liebermann, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index, also released Friday, showed greater pessimism about the economy this month, likely driven by stubbornly high prices.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of drive
Verb
  • In his report, Prescott said there is evidence substantiating the claim that Rodriguez-Mendez was extorting Guaranda.
    — Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Dowen also admitted to using threats and violence against a victim and their family to extort the victim for millions of dollars and a drug-manufacturing recipe.
    — Nollyanne Delacruz, Mercury News, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of extort
Verb
  • Drew Allar impresses in preseason debut against Packers The Steelers' third-round pick out of Penn State this past year went 10 for 13 for 154 yards and three touchdowns against the Green Bay Packers.
    — Patrick Damp, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Vesga’s casting came from an hour-long conversation Bialy and Scott had with him at Gelson’s after being impressed by his tape.
    — Matt Minton, Variety, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of impress
Verb
  • Attorney Jesse Dreicer suggested Tenon made false statements and his confession to the shooting was coerced.
    — Danya Gainor, CNN Money, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Shuter also pointed out that Pitt was clearly not coerced into talking about his drinking by a pushy magazine writer.
    — Martha Ross, Mercury News, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of coerce
Verb
  • His removal triggered mass protests that lasted for weeks but ultimately failed to force a reversal of the decision.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026
  • The throw arrived in time but landed several feet short, forcing Knizner in an awkward position to make a difficult pick.
    — Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of force

Browse Nearby Words

blackly
blackmail
blackmailed
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Cite this Entry

“Blackmail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blackmail. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on blackmail

Nglish: Translation of blackmail for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about blackmail

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