as in gangsters
a person who gets money from another by using force or threats
the blackmailer threatened to tell the media about the mayor's arrest as a teenager
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of blackmailers
Despite paying off blackmailers and marrying Lady Olivia Hedges (Danielle Galligan) to protect his secret, Arthur still loses his father’s Parliament seat after getting caught committing election fraud.
—
Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 27 Sep. 2025
Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 27 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blackmailers
Noun
-
American gangsters ran the hotels and the gambling.—
Joseph J. Gonzalez,
The Conversation,
23 Mar. 2026
-
Kelly spends the first half of his book running through a who’s who of the New England underworld, gangsters and mob wannabes who likely came into contact with the art before the investigation reached Maine and Gentile.—
Edmund H. Mahony,
Hartford Courant,
22 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The new Homeland Security person needs to unmask the thugs causing harm to families and innocent children.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
15 Mar. 2026
-
The centerpiece is, of course, the melee/dance-off between the ensemble in white tutus and the violent thugs, toe blade and all.—
Lé Baltar,
IndieWire,
14 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
These kinds of sweeping outages are typically the result either of ransomware attacks, where online extortionists paralyse corporate networks in the hope of payment, or deliberate sabotage.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
20 Sep. 2025
-
These kinds of sweeping outages are typically the result either of ransomware attacks, where online extortionists paralyze corporate networks in the hope of payment, or deliberate digital sabotage.—
Reuters,
CNN Money,
20 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The characters were based on a real family of bookmakers and racketeers who once lived in England.—
Sarah Moore,
Freep.com,
5 Mar. 2026
-
When Ferrara was starting out, private investment in low-budget films was spurred by tax loopholes, a way for doctors, dentists, and racketeers to get rid of extra cash that would otherwise wind up in Uncle Sam’s grubby mitts.—
Nick Pinkerton,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Blackmailers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blackmailers. Accessed 25 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
