blackmail

noun

black·​mail ˈblak-ˌmāl How to pronounce blackmail (audio)
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
blackmailer noun

Examples of blackmail in a Sentence

She was a victim of blackmail. The servant extorted blackmail from her employer.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
These breaches can lead to insurance fraud, identity theft and even blackmail. Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 28 June 2025 More worrying than the arsenal itself, however, is Russia’s potential willingness to use it, including as a means of coercion and blackmail. Florence Gaub, Foreign Affairs, 24 June 2025 When a human foot washes ashore in the Everglades, Audrey has to head to Tyson’s Caribbean home, as the body part may be linked to a larger blackmail scheme that could take her down too. Carly Tagen-Dye, People.com, 10 June 2025 And if somehow accessed by hackers, the centralized systems would prove a trove of information for fraud or blackmail. Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 4 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for blackmail

Word History

First Known Use

1552, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of blackmail was in 1552

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Cite this Entry

“Blackmail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blackmail. Accessed 14 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

blackmail

noun
black·​mail ˈblak-ˌmāl How to pronounce blackmail (audio)
1
: the act of forcing a person to do or pay something especially by a threat to reveal a secret
2
: something (as money) obtained through blackmail
blackmail verb
blackmailer noun
Etymology

from black (the color) and mail "rent, payment," from Old English māl "agreement," of Norse origin

Word Origin
The word blackmail has no connection at all with the postal system. In the 16th and part of the 17th centuries, the area along the border between England and Scotland was not usually protected by the officials on either side. Landholders were beset not only by outlaws but also by their own chieftains, who told them that in return for payment they would not be raided. In Scotland mail means "rent" or "payment." This word comes ultimately from an Old Norse word māl meaning "agreement" or "speech." The mail delivered by a letter carrier originally meant "sack, bag," and referred to the sack in which letters were carried; it is hence completely distinct in origin from the mail of blackmail.

Legal Definition

blackmail

noun
black·​mail ˈblak-ˌmāl How to pronounce blackmail (audio)
: extortion or coercion by often written threats especially of public exposure, physical harm, or criminal prosecution
blackmail transitive verb
blackmailer
-ˌmā-lər
noun
Etymology

originally, payment extorted from farmers in Scotland and northern England, from black + dialectal mail payment, rent

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