blackmail

black·mail

noun \ˈblak-ˌmāl\

: the crime of threatening to tell secret information about someone unless the person being threatened gives you money or does what you want

: something (such as money) that is received through blackmail

Full Definition of BLACKMAIL

1

:  a tribute anciently exacted on the Scottish border by plundering chiefs in exchange for immunity from pillage

2

a :  extortion or coercion by threats especially of public exposure or criminal prosecution

b :  the payment that is extorted

— blackmail transitive verb

— black·mail·er noun

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Examples of BLACKMAIL

1. She was a victim of blackmail.
2. The servant extorted blackmail from her employer.

Origin of BLACKMAIL

black + ¹mail

First Known Use: 1552

Other Government and Politics Terms

agent provocateur, agitprop, autarky, cabal, egalitarianism, federalism, hegemony, plenipotentiary, popular sovereignty, socialism

Rhymes with BLACKMAIL

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