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.
This has left the Kremlin with few options other than global destabilization and geopolitical blackmail, a strategy for which the Kim regime in Pyongyang provides a powerful model. Andrei Yakovlev, Foreign Affairs, 16 May 2025 Ventura said Combs threatened to release the videos on multiple occasions, using them as blackmail over her career. Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 16 May 2025 Cassie testified that their relationship was marred by blackmail threats and even physical abuse. Hannah Parry joshua Rhett Miller, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 May 2025 According to prosecutors, the teenager reciprocated by sending back photos of himself — only to be hit with a blackmail demand of $150 to prevent the images from being disseminated online. Lesley Cosme Torres, People.com, 12 May 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 28 May. 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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