blackmail

noun

black·​mail ˈblak-ˌmāl 

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

From the unsubstantiated premise that Biden has taken bribes, Trump goes on to allege foreign blackmail caused Biden to take certain actions. —Isaac Arnsdorf, Anchorage Daily News, 8 Sep. 2023

The implication is that Judge Guy's little black blackmail book is involved; Downey either made a deal to get her own page removed, or to get the book herself for general corruption reasons. —Evan Romano, Men's Health, 29 Aug. 2023

This is called blackmail, and blackmail should not be tolerated. —Joel Gehrke, Washington Examiner, 18 July 2023

The two, who met online, faced a 12-count indictment including blackmail, fraud, and hacking charges. —Time, 25 Aug. 2023

The charges include serious computer misuse, blackmail, and fraud against the chip developer Nvidia. —Christopher Hutton, Washington Examiner, 23 Aug. 2023

His novel of the same name features an urban standoff between a lawman and a trigger-happy outlaw with a citywide blackmail plot. —Brett Williams, Men's Health, 1 Aug. 2023

The suit says Williams did not bring up the blackmail during this discussion. —Sabrina Leboeuf, Baltimore Sun, 1 Aug. 2023

An external security firm conducted those interviews, and job candidates said that the firm intended to find information that could make candidates vulnerable to blackmail. —Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 30 June 2023

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Word History

Etymology

black entry 1 + mail entry 4

First Known Use

1552, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing blackmail

• emotional blackmail

• emotional blackmail

Kids Definition

blackmail

noun

black·​mail ˈblak-ˌmāl 

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 

: 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