as in to threaten
to use blackmail against (someone)
The old man was being blackmailed by his nephew.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of blackmail
Aviles and his attorney have denied the blackmailing accusation.
—
Connor Greene, Time, 4 Mar. 2026
When Martin gets blackmailed by gangsters, the pair knock off a mafia henchman and plunge themselves deep into the Australian underworld, all while trying to keep their business afloat.
—David Faris, TheWeek, 4 Mar. 2026
Prosecutors say Snow used social media and his knowledge of technology to target, intimidate and blackmail women.
—Quinlan Bentley, Cincinnati Enquirer, 2 Mar. 2026
Hayley turns out to be a call girl Halberstram had hired to woo and blackmail powerful figures.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 2 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for blackmail
Connor Greene, Time, 4 Mar. 2026
When Martin gets blackmailed by gangsters, the pair knock off a mafia henchman and plunge themselves deep into the Australian underworld, all while trying to keep their business afloat.
—David Faris, TheWeek, 4 Mar. 2026
Prosecutors say Snow used social media and his knowledge of technology to target, intimidate and blackmail women.
—Quinlan Bentley, Cincinnati Enquirer, 2 Mar. 2026
Hayley turns out to be a call girl Halberstram had hired to woo and blackmail powerful figures.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 2 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for blackmail
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blackmail
Verb
-
The war has threatened global supplies of oil and natural gas, sparked fertilizer shortages and disrupted air travel.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Instead, there was Foster, checking into the game just as the whole thing threatened to go off the rails for Duke.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
House rebels view the attempt to squeeze the SAVE America Act into reconciliation, a restrictive budget process that requires all language to have a direct fiscal impact, as capitulation and want to see the entire bill, including its mandates on voter ID and proof of citizenship, signed into law.—
David Sivak,
The Washington Examiner,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Priced at just £600, the 13-inch Neo squeezes many of the MacBook Air’s best features into a device that is far more affordable.—
The Week UK,
TheWeek,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The decision to inaugurate the first urban Six Senses property in Rome was partially driven by the owner’s love of all things Italian and is part of a new drive to bring sanctuaries to bigger cities.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Objects that are outdoors should be secured and caution should be taken if driving.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The hackers behind the botnets then sold access to cybercriminals, resulting in hundreds of thousands of DDoS attacks that could also try to extort victims.—
Michael Kan,
PC Magazine,
20 Mar. 2026
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In schemes orchestrated with Iza, Coberg arranged a fake drug arrest and stood guard while a victim was extorted.—
Brittny Mejia,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
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For Iranian athletes who play in domestic-league games that aren’t broadcast internationally, the World Cup serves as a critical launchpad to impress international scouts.—
Albert Samaha,
New Yorker,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Everyone in Washington’s lineup had at least one hit, and Foster Griffin impressed in his first MLB action since 2022.—
Danielle Allentuck,
Washington Post,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In the mid-twentieth century, the US government experimented on poor Black men in Tuskegee, Alabama, to understand the life-cycle of syphilis; the men were coerced into remaining in their study for decades despite the fact that the disease’s cure, penicillin, had been discovered.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
30 Mar. 2026
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And the folks for whom Live Nation is able to really coerce a lot of their economic opportunities, the venues that are afraid to get sideways with Live Nation.—
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The other key will be avoiding turnovers, as South Carolina is forcing more than 18 per game.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
30 Mar. 2026
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Soft, adjustable lighting, outdoor rain showers with peepholes framing the scenery, incredibly comfy poolside daybeds, super-crisp sheets, open-plan bathrooms with capacious closets—everything works, but nothing feels forced or superfluous.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Blackmail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blackmail. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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