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

The predators often befriend victims before coercing them into producing explicit material that is then used for blackmail. —Theo Burman, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 May 2025

Editors’ Picks Celebrate Wordle Day China’s position seems to be that this battle makes no sense and that giving way would only invite future blackmail. —Ana Swanson, New York Times, 2 May 2025

The risk of blackmail, economic coercion, price shocks; that reality was exposed after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. —Aldo Flores-Quiroga, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025

Still, blackmail is no way to enlist the firm’s good counsel. —Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2025

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

Rhymes for blackmail

• airmail
• assail
• avail
• bewail
• cattail
• cocktail
• curtail
• derail
• detail
• dovetail
• email
• entail

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