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
This comes on the heels of reports of thousands of iPhone thefts in London, with their owners being blackmailed or threatened into giving the thieves their Apple ID credentials, so the thieves can unlock, wipe, and resell the phones.
—
Alan Henry, PC Magazine, 29 May 2026
During her interview with Blanche, Maxwell claimed that her relationship with Wait ended after he was blackmailed for $10 million in exchange for dropping mention of Maxwell from a series of civil lawsuits filed against Epstein.
—ABC News, 13 May 2026
The show, which premiered on April 9 on Netflix, centers on siblings Nicky (Dan) and Morgan (Taylor Ortega), who get blackmailed into the world of organized crime.
—Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 13 Apr. 2026
Dan Levy knows exactly what keeps him up at night, as the possibility of being blackmailed into committing crimes has haunted him for years.
—Kennedy French, Variety, 11 Apr. 2026
The show follows two directionless siblings, Morgan and Nicky (Levy), who are blackmailed into the world of organized crime.
—Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 10 Apr. 2026
When he gets blackmailed by a mystery man, Reeves' character gets help from his high school besties, played by Cameron Diaz and Matt Bomer.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 10 Apr. 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
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
Alan Henry, PC Magazine, 29 May 2026
During her interview with Blanche, Maxwell claimed that her relationship with Wait ended after he was blackmailed for $10 million in exchange for dropping mention of Maxwell from a series of civil lawsuits filed against Epstein.
—ABC News, 13 May 2026
The show, which premiered on April 9 on Netflix, centers on siblings Nicky (Dan) and Morgan (Taylor Ortega), who get blackmailed into the world of organized crime.
—Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 13 Apr. 2026
Dan Levy knows exactly what keeps him up at night, as the possibility of being blackmailed into committing crimes has haunted him for years.
—Kennedy French, Variety, 11 Apr. 2026
The show follows two directionless siblings, Morgan and Nicky (Levy), who are blackmailed into the world of organized crime.
—Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 10 Apr. 2026
When he gets blackmailed by a mystery man, Reeves' character gets help from his high school besties, played by Cameron Diaz and Matt Bomer.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 10 Apr. 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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blackmailed
Verb
-
Trump used expletives to convey his disapproval of Israel’s plans, which threatened to upend negotiations with Iran.—
Kevin Liptak,
CNN Money,
2 June 2026
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In 2025, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei claimed that AI could eliminate 50% of white-collar jobs; and last summer, OpenAI chief Sam Altman said that entry-level work was threatened by automation.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
1 June 2026
Verb
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Freddie Freeman squeezed one inside the left-field foul pole in the first inning, his fourth home run in nine games (after hitting just one in the previous 35 games).—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
30 May 2026
-
The story of America’s lopsided home prices has often been pinned on the wealthy remote workers who squeezed home supply in the pandemic’s early days.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
29 May 2026
Verb
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But Ancel Glink representatives said Odelson, Murphey, Frazier and McGrath overstepped by petitioning to represent Calumet City in both a labor dispute and a lawsuit where a former employee claims Jones extorted him and wrongfully terminated his employment.—
Olivia Stevens,
Chicago Tribune,
27 May 2026
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The court found that the girl’s mother extorted thousands of dollars from Franco.—
Steve Henson,
Los Angeles Times,
26 May 2026
Verb
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As the family entered the intersection, Erickson drove by them and avoided a collision.—
Richard Winton,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
-
Tovar drove in a run with a sacrifice fly to right field in the second.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
3 June 2026
Verb
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In the state of Arkansas, lawmakers worked across the aisle on a bold bill that categorizes kids recruited into gangs and coerced into committing crimes as victims.—
Ana Zamora,
Time,
3 June 2026
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The thoughtlessness with which this bride coerced you into subsidizing her wedding was stunning.—
Judith Martin,
Mercury News,
23 May 2026
Verb
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The absence of Tahj Washington, who had an injury setback during the first week of OTAs, opened the door for Reagor, who impressed Miami’s coaches in a workout that featured a handful of unemployed receivers.—
Omar Kelly,
Miami Herald,
3 June 2026
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The man behind The Boy With the Light-Blue Eyes was also impressed by the craft behind the Spielberg dino blockbuster.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
3 June 2026
Verb
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Pratt alleged that volunteers have been bullied, harassed, and have been trying to get Bass’s attention.—
Britta Miller,
The Washington Examiner,
30 May 2026
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When the third episode opens, Paula is still being harassed by the blackmailer, even though Trevor is dead.—
Erin Qualey,
Vulture,
29 May 2026
Verb
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Today, however, the opposite is true, and they are deliberately displayed as current fashion trends have brought to the surface what was once forced to be hidden.—
Teresa Romero Martínez,
Glamour,
31 May 2026
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Fueled by large stocks of critically dry vegetation and extreme winds, the fires killed 31 people, destroyed nearly 12,000 homes, and forced over 150,000 evacuations.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
31 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Blackmailed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blackmailed. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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