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
She’s being blackmailed by them.
—
Nicole Acosta, People.com, 7 Jan. 2025
There is a big question in the doc about her possibly being blackmailed by the Manses and also being stuck with a hefty tax bill as a result of their mismanagement of her disability benefits and other income.
—Brande Victorian, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Jan. 2025
But this is a very watchable, surprisingly good thriller that takes place over Christmas Eve, with a TSA agent being blackmailed on the busiest day of the year to let some sort of extremely dangerous package through security.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
Shoutout to the 38 Republicans who shot the bill down in the House while being threatened & blackmailed.
—Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 23 Dec. 2024
They were lied to, threatened, blackmailed and plied with alcohol and drugs at their weakest moments.
—Stephanie Innes, The Arizona Republic, 21 Dec. 2024
The concept, a TSA agent is blackmailed into letting a potentially dangerous package through security, does not sound terribly interesting at baseline, and this cast could have gone either way.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024
They were lied to, threatened, blackmailed and plied with alcohol and drugs.
—Stephanie Innes, The Arizona Republic, 18 Oct. 2024
Meanwhile, Jack makes significant headway with the rogue juror, who admits that she was blackmailed into lying about Erin because her parents are being held hostage in Mexico.
—EW.com, 19 Oct. 2024
Nicole Acosta, People.com, 7 Jan. 2025
There is a big question in the doc about her possibly being blackmailed by the Manses and also being stuck with a hefty tax bill as a result of their mismanagement of her disability benefits and other income.
—Brande Victorian, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Jan. 2025
But this is a very watchable, surprisingly good thriller that takes place over Christmas Eve, with a TSA agent being blackmailed on the busiest day of the year to let some sort of extremely dangerous package through security.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
Shoutout to the 38 Republicans who shot the bill down in the House while being threatened & blackmailed.
—Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 23 Dec. 2024
They were lied to, threatened, blackmailed and plied with alcohol and drugs at their weakest moments.
—Stephanie Innes, The Arizona Republic, 21 Dec. 2024
The concept, a TSA agent is blackmailed into letting a potentially dangerous package through security, does not sound terribly interesting at baseline, and this cast could have gone either way.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024
They were lied to, threatened, blackmailed and plied with alcohol and drugs.
—Stephanie Innes, The Arizona Republic, 18 Oct. 2024
Meanwhile, Jack makes significant headway with the rogue juror, who admits that she was blackmailed into lying about Erin because her parents are being held hostage in Mexico.
—EW.com, 19 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blackmailed
Verb
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Of the 24 species of scrub mints known today, over half are listed as threatened or endangered at either the state or federal level.—
Andre A. Naranjo,
The Conversation,
6 Jan. 2025
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Advertisement Hezbollah, which was severely diminished during nearly 14 months of war, has threatened to resume fighting if Israel does not fully withdraw its forces by the 60-day deadline.—
Abby Sewell and Melanie Lidman,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Strong trading revenues drove the beat, and shares rose 2% in early trading.—
Catherine Baab,
Quartz,
14 Apr. 2025
-
Michael Busch drove an elevated fastball into the seats, the first extra-base hit Sasaki had surrendered all season.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
13 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Butler was incredulous that Curry – harassed by Houston’s long defenders such as Amen Thompson during a three-point, 1-of-10 shooting night – did not get more foul calls.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
7 Apr. 2025
-
McAfee could assert that if someone harassed Cornett after watching his show, then the harasser—not McAfee—is at fault.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
2 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Blackmailed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blackmailed. Accessed 22 Jul. 2025.
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