blackmail

verb

Definition of blackmailnext
as in to threaten
to use blackmail against (someone) The old man was being blackmailed by his nephew.

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of blackmail Instead, Cohen said the women who reported him immediately only wanted to ensure Weinberg couldn’t use the photos to blackmail them — and those who came forward later were likely motivated by monetary gain. — Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026 In the first episode, Prue will sit down with comedians Hope Carew and Andrew Stier to explore topics ranging from spreading the gay agenda through football to Thanksgiving nudism and how best to blackmail coworkers. — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 29 Sep. 2026 The software might pursue options such as blackmailing its opponent or grabbing more compute time. — Deven Desai, The Conversation, 29 Sep. 2026 Season two goes a little differently than season one, because the music exec in charge of casting the show (Ashley Padilla) is being lightly blackmailed by two … unique candidates (Jane Wickline and new cast member Grace Reiter). — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 27 Sep. 2026 In fact, there have even been instances of AI attempting to blackmail a human researcher who was seen as a threat to its tasking. — Jason Ma, Fortune, 26 Sep. 2026 Blizzard insinuated that Paramount blackmailed California into negotiating a settlement by threatening to leave the state, a common talking point raised by Bonta. — David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 24 Sep. 2026 Assassination-for-hire is the tragicomic domain of people looking for someone to kill a spouse or a rival but getting blackmailed by teenagers pretending to be hit men in the process. — Finn Brunton, Harpers Magazine, 1 Sep. 2026 And in 1911 a disgruntled ex-Mormon hid a camera under his coat and snapped surreptitious photos of the temple’s interior in an unsuccessful attempt to blackmail the church. — Brandon Griggs, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blackmail
  1. threaten
  2. squeeze
  3. drive
  4. extort
  5. impress
  6. coerce
  7. force
Verb
  • In several messages quoted in the ruling, Seaver allegedly threatened Nozell and other people connected to Parton’s estate.
    — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 6 Oct. 2026
  • As a child of parents who bred him to be the next Green Lantern, John knows full well the conflict between conscience and instinct, a ceaseless war that threatens to explode to the surface.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of threaten
Verb
  • But the highlight of the spa is the infinity-edge rock pool, squeezed into a canyon between towering rock walls, with views out over the valley beyond.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
  • It’s being squeezed by all sorts of forces, commercial forces, corporate forces, political forces.
    — Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of squeeze
Verb
  • The reason for that is the unquenching market need for solid factual projects that can both be popular on linear channels and drive older viewers to streaming services.
    — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The urgency of their push comes as major European companies undergo huge job losses — Volkswagen plans to cut 100,000 workers — which experts have said could drive political upheaval.
    — Morgan Chalfant, semafor.com, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of drive
Verb
  • Hill alleged school board members tried to extort her into resigning in a memo sent to the board ahead of her firing.
    — Julia Coin, Charlotte Observer, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Police in Europe allege that a 16-year-old is the leader of a ransomware group called KillSec, which tried to extort hundreds of businesses and organizations.
    — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of extort
Verb
  • And the Heat’s new superstar, Giannis Antetokounmpo, is already impressed by Nelson’s skills on the microphone.
    — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2026
  • While the polyester fabric isn’t ideal, I was impressed by the coat’s thickness and weight, which gave it a more luxurious feel than typical poly-blend coats.
    — Irene Richardson, InStyle, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of impress
Verb
  • This was a back-door effort to coerce Detroit to phase out the internal combustion engine, as the only realistic way car makers could meet the requirement was to massively expand their EV or hybrid inventories.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 5 Oct. 2026
  • This hasn’t stopped the Administration from trying to coerce states to hand over their voter rolls.
    — Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of coerce
Verb
  • The companies and economies that endure will be the ones that can balance growth, resilience and sustainability—and change before outside pressure forces them to.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Doe alleged the defendants snorted ketamine off her body and forced her to do the same off theirs.
    — David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of force

Browse Nearby Words

blackly
blackmail
blackmailed
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Cite this Entry

“Blackmail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blackmail. Accessed 7 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on blackmail

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about blackmail

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