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
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
In Big Mistakes, Levy and Taylor Ortega play siblings who shoplift a necklace from a jewelry store to give to their grandmother on her deathbed, only to be blackmailed by the mobsters that run the place into a series of increasingly stupid and dangerous errands.
—K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 3 Apr. 2026
Rights defenders have said that the country's top security agency, which still goes under its Soviet-era name KGB, has blackmailed members of LGBTQ+ community to force them to cooperate.
—ABC News, 2 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
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
In Big Mistakes, Levy and Taylor Ortega play siblings who shoplift a necklace from a jewelry store to give to their grandmother on her deathbed, only to be blackmailed by the mobsters that run the place into a series of increasingly stupid and dangerous errands.
—K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 3 Apr. 2026
Rights defenders have said that the country's top security agency, which still goes under its Soviet-era name KGB, has blackmailed members of LGBTQ+ community to force them to cooperate.
—ABC News, 2 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
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The complaint further alleges Apex threatened to report Lomas' medical debt to credit bureaus, which is something New Jersey law prohibits for medical services performed after July 22, 2024.—
Joshua Sidorowicz,
CBS News,
11 May 2026
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Tensions between the countries further flared in 2023, when Rodríguez’s predecessor, Maduro, threatened to annex the region by force after holding a referendum asking voters if Essequibo should be turned into a Venezuelan state.—
Molly Quell,
Los Angeles Times,
11 May 2026
Verb
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Dwight reached out and squeezed my upper arm, pulling me into a bear hug, smashing my face against the rough canvas of his jacket, his gloved hand on my ass pulling me closer.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 May 2026
-
Patrick Mahomes’ torn right ACL and LCL prevented a late-season surge that might have squeezed KC into the postseason and another fateful meeting.—
Tim Graham,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
Verb
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To dispose of his body, the group allegedly used a familiar method, placing it in a crematorium furnace in a local funeral home whose owner was being extorted by another Hells Angels member.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
22 Apr. 2026
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Kraken, one of the world’s oldest crypto exchanges, said it’s being extorted by a criminal group that claims to have access to some client account information.—
Olga Kharif,
Bloomberg,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Rowles, meanwhile, contributed a sharp single that drove in a run during an eight-run first inning.—
Tony Baranek,
Chicago Tribune,
14 May 2026
-
The Union pushed up the pitch quickly to find an unmarked Bender, who drove a low shot past the outstretched fingers of Maxime Crépeau to level the match at 3-3 in the 79th minute, setting the stage for Ojeda’s last-minute winner.—
Kyle Foley,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 May 2026
Verb
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Without that market competition, the plaintiffs argued, gamers were coerced into paying higher prices, effectively allowing Sony to monopolize the sale of its digital PlayStation games.—
Drew Pittock,
USA Today,
4 May 2026
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At the same time, they were aggressively promoted — and sometimes coerced — among socially and economically disadvantaged people, often in the name of preventing poverty.—
Sonya Borrero,
STAT,
1 May 2026
Verb
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Poulin also has been impressed with Kouba’s work in the batter’s box.—
Rick Armstrong,
Chicago Tribune,
14 May 2026
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His tenure in Philadelphia has been far from perfect (a 116-130 regular-season record), but team sources say the ownership group has been impressed with the way Nurse galvanized the roster this season.—
Tony Jones,
New York Times,
13 May 2026
Verb
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Amanda falsely claimed that Moscatiello got Amanda and Cory fired from their jobs and harassed their families and friends, Moscatiello said on Scamanda.—
Jessica Sager,
PEOPLE,
12 May 2026
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At the hearing devoted to antisemitism, Jewish witnesses spoke of being harassed and threatened at campus pro-Palestinian protests against Israel.—
Peter Smith,
Los Angeles Times,
10 May 2026
Verb
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In the end, Erik Heil and the Germans closed to within a boat length at the final turning mark, and Botin was forced to execute a high-pressure tack to stay ahead and claim second.—
Andrew Rice,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
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Under the map, Cleaver would be forced to campaign in a district that stretches east from Troost Avenue to the rural cities and towns spread across central Missouri.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
10 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Blackmailed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blackmailed. Accessed 17 May. 2026.
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