BLACKMAILS Synonyms: 50 Similar and Opposite Words

blackmails

verb

present tense third-person singular of blackmail

as in threatens

to use blackmail against (someone) The old man was being blackmailed by his nephew.

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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 blackmails The third ended by setting Deborah and Ava on a collision course after Ava blackmails Deborah into becoming head writer of her late-night show, only to render the fallout in cartoonishly broad terms. — Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 29 May 2026 Their antagonism peaked at the end of Season 3, when Deborah achieves her dream of landing a late-night chair and Ava blackmails her way into the head-writer job. — Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 29 May 2026 Collet-Serra directed and executive produced the film that focused on Egerton as an inexperienced TSA agent who ends up in a battle of wits with a mysterious traveler (Bateman) after the stranger blackmails him into allowing a dangerous package onto a flight on Christmas Eve. — Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 22 May 2026 But is Duncan the devil who manipulates, lies and emotionally blackmails anyone in his orbit? — Stephen Schaefer, Boston Herald, 12 Apr. 2026 Something Duncan says in a session with JoAnne leads her to unload some stock, like Martha Stewart in 2004, and Duncan, working this out, blackmails her into passing on inside information from her clients to him. — Television Critic, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2026 Eager to have his cake and eat it too, Benedict blackmails Sophie into taking a job with his mother. — Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 30 Jan. 2026 Shay blackmails him, triggering a father-son feud. — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for blackmails

Verb

But Ariana’s husband threatens Honoria’s fragile peace with the conquering Inver clan.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 Aug. 2026
Not necessarily with a salary cap — a demand by the owners that threatens to wipe out part or all of the 2027 season — but with other ways that help benefit the small markets and allow the sport to continue its renaissance.

— Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 2 Aug. 2026

Definition of threatens

Verb

Intended to foster moderation, the top two system has instead functioned as a primary system that repeatedly squeezes Republicans.

— Dain Fitzgerald, The Washington Examiner, 1 Aug. 2026
Apple’s iPhone and Mac sales are on the rise even as a global memory shortage squeezes device makers.

— Emma Roth, The Verge, 30 July 2026

Definition of squeezes

Verb

Under the proposal, a commuter who drives on I-90 from Barrington to work downtown and back 50 weeks a year would be charged $950 in 2027, up from $600 this year.

— Marni Pyke, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2026
That Treasury bond specifically drives the direction of consumer lending rates, such as for mortgages, credit cards and personal loans.

— Steve Kopack, NBC news, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of drives

Verb

Listing just seven items on the menu, Sehzade Cag Kebap impresses with simplicity, outstanding flavors, and efficient service.

— CNT Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Aug. 2026
Photography by Venetia Scott impresses itself on you like that—an entire aesthetic world, made by an ultra-discreet British fashion photographer-polymath who lives and works at the end of a quiet street in North Kensington.

— Sarah Mower, Architectural Digest, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of impresses

Verb

However, the rotation of this filament clearly dominates how the galaxies within it spin, perhaps by funneling hydrogen gas along the dark-matter filament and onto the galaxies in a way that coerces their spin while providing further fuel for star formation.

— Keith Cooper, Space.com, 4 Dec. 2025
Haunted by the suspicious death of his ailing mother, Ali, a university professor, coerces his enigmatic gardener to execute a cold-blooded act of vengeance.

— Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 14 Nov. 2025

Definition of coerces

Verb

Although China’s maritime militia fleet regularly harasses other countries’ small and vulnerable fishing boats, the container ships and bulk carriers responsible for Taiwan’s commerce dwarf any Chinese militia vessel.

— Eugene Gholz, Foreign Affairs, 4 Aug. 2026
Benedict and Sophie meet again in the countryside when Sophie protects a fellow maid after a group of Benedict’s acquaintances harasses her.

— Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026

Definition of harasses

Browse Nearby Words

blackmailing

blackmails

black market

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Blackmails.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blackmails. Accessed 10 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of blackmails

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on blackmails

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

pedagogical

Popular in Grammar & Usage

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Games & Quizzes