as in threatened
to use blackmail against (someone)
The old man was being blackmailed by his nephew.
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Recent Examples of blackmailed
Decades before, Monroe was blackmailed by the CIA into becoming a mole in Zapata's Mexico City operation.
—
Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Feb. 2026
The first is the showdown with Whitney on CNN after Eric learns he’s being blackmailed.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 15 Feb. 2026
During the Season 3 finale, DA Haller questioned private investigator Neil Bishop, who admitted he was blackmailed into working for Drug Enforcement Administration agent James De Marco.
—Saleen Martin, USA Today, 4 Feb. 2026
Officers say one of those arrested was an employee at the store who claimed he was being blackmailed into helping with the scheme.
—Dan Raby, CBS News, 30 Jan. 2026
But now Europeans feel that they’re being blackmailed.
—Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 21 Jan. 2026
Sextortion, a scheme where victims are deceived into sending online perpetrators explicit images and then blackmailed in exchange for money or additional graphic content, has affected thousands of teens in recent years and led to multiple suicide deaths.
—Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 12 Jan. 2026
However, prosecutors portrayed Homolka as a battered wife who was beaten and blackmailed into aiding Bernardo, per the Associated Press.
—Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 1 Dec. 2025
The attorney general of California may have been blackmailed.
—Susan Shelley, Oc Register, 29 Nov. 2025
Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Feb. 2026
The first is the showdown with Whitney on CNN after Eric learns he’s being blackmailed.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 15 Feb. 2026
During the Season 3 finale, DA Haller questioned private investigator Neil Bishop, who admitted he was blackmailed into working for Drug Enforcement Administration agent James De Marco.
—Saleen Martin, USA Today, 4 Feb. 2026
Officers say one of those arrested was an employee at the store who claimed he was being blackmailed into helping with the scheme.
—Dan Raby, CBS News, 30 Jan. 2026
But now Europeans feel that they’re being blackmailed.
—Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 21 Jan. 2026
Sextortion, a scheme where victims are deceived into sending online perpetrators explicit images and then blackmailed in exchange for money or additional graphic content, has affected thousands of teens in recent years and led to multiple suicide deaths.
—Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 12 Jan. 2026
However, prosecutors portrayed Homolka as a battered wife who was beaten and blackmailed into aiding Bernardo, per the Associated Press.
—Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 1 Dec. 2025
The attorney general of California may have been blackmailed.
—Susan Shelley, Oc Register, 29 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blackmailed
Verb
-
And while athletes and coaches are exempt from the ban, Iran threatened to boycott the World Cup draw in Washington, DC, in December after members of its delegation were denied US visas.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Iran has long threatened, if attacked, to drag the region into total war, including targeting Israel, the Gulf Arab states and the flow of crude oil crucial for global energy markets.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The fluctuations hint at an episodic, external source—potentially eruptions from a sort of super-Io satellite being tidally squeezed by its hefty planetary host.—
Phil Plait,
Scientific American,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Small businesses, squeezed by the tariffs, may be forced to absorb the loss.—
Phillip Molnar,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Gonzales has denied the affair in the past, and has claimed he is being extorted.—
Fin Daniel Gómez,
CBS News,
24 Feb. 2026
-
Nicole Curtis, the former HGTV star whose Rehab Addict show was canceled after a video surfaced of her using a racial slur, is now claiming she was being extorted.—
Armando Tinoco,
Deadline,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Kaitlyn Thurman had 3 hits, including a home run, scored 3 runs and drove in 6 runs for West.—
NWA Democrat-Gazette,
Arkansas Online,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Stacey Wondra told the detectives that after placing Michael in the duffel bag, the group drove him to a house in Kuna and put him in a spare room, the affidavit said.—
Alex Brizee
March 3,
Idaho Statesman,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Two similar situated individuals, both coerced to commit a murder have a different sentencing structure.—
Livi Stanford,
Hartford Courant,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Kamaria Nelson, 25, was charged with pandering and robbing the girl, who police say left her group home last year in the company of another teen, two women, and an adult who allegedly coerced her into prostitution.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Milky toners have become so popular across skin care routines, and this one has always impressed me even when up against its pricier counterparts.—
Kaitlin Clapinski,
InStyle,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Though Keelan Marion and CJ Daniels will be missed, this Canes’ receiver room has a chance to be better than last year’s, with Toney, Upshaw, Moore, the three freshmen and veterans Barkate, Vaughn and Jacobs (who has impressed everyone with his speed).—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Iranian regime has harassed and attacked international shipping in the Gulf of Oman for decades.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
3 Mar. 2026
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Truszkowski claims Moore did not follow up on the woman's report and instead harassed her.—
DeJanay Booth-Singleton,
CBS News,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Airlines around the world have been forced to cancel flights through multiple cities in the area, affecting thousands of global travelers.—
Karla Cripps,
CNN Money,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Liz’s view The finance set has been worried about private credit, amplified by the troubles at Blue Owl, where a flood of redemption requests forced the firm to sell assets and look to wind down one of its funds for individual investors.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
2 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Blackmailed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blackmailed. Accessed 6 Mar. 2026.
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