as in threatening
to use blackmail against (someone)
The old man was being blackmailed by his nephew.
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Recent Examples of blackmailing
The policy, which was adopted in late 2023, aims to deter foreign countries from blackmailing European countries through economic pressure.
—
Philip Wang, Time, 21 Jan. 2026
In addition to the incident in the woods, the blackmailing further made Catherine/Lexy the perfect suspect.
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 10 Jan. 2026
The offenders will get young women to send explicit photos using similar blackmailing tactics.
—Molly Beck, jsonline.com, 14 Oct. 2025
Another minor added that Smith involved her husband, telling him that the victim had a video of her smoking marijuana with them and was blackmailing her.
—Saleen Martin, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
After Matthew starts blackmailing Oliver, there’s an obvious shift in the way the group interacts with him.
—Michael Cuby, Them., 27 Aug. 2025
Some users bragged about allegedly assaulting or blackmailing women and encouraged others to insult the women shown in photos with degrading language.
—Cnn Staff 20 Hr Ago, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2025
Some of the stranger and more alarming AI behaviors, such as blackmailing or deceiving users, have been extensively studied by these companies as a first step toward mitigating possible harms.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 21 Aug. 2025
Philip Wang, Time, 21 Jan. 2026
In addition to the incident in the woods, the blackmailing further made Catherine/Lexy the perfect suspect.
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 10 Jan. 2026
The offenders will get young women to send explicit photos using similar blackmailing tactics.
—Molly Beck, jsonline.com, 14 Oct. 2025
Another minor added that Smith involved her husband, telling him that the victim had a video of her smoking marijuana with them and was blackmailing her.
—Saleen Martin, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
After Matthew starts blackmailing Oliver, there’s an obvious shift in the way the group interacts with him.
—Michael Cuby, Them., 27 Aug. 2025
Some users bragged about allegedly assaulting or blackmailing women and encouraged others to insult the women shown in photos with degrading language.
—Cnn Staff 20 Hr Ago, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2025
Some of the stranger and more alarming AI behaviors, such as blackmailing or deceiving users, have been extensively studied by these companies as a first step toward mitigating possible harms.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 21 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blackmailing
Verb
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Trump has also escalated economic pressure on allies, threatening Canada with 100% tariffs over its business dealings with China and hitting Europe with new tariffs before backing down amid resistance to his territorial ambitions in Greenland.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
28 Jan. 2026
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Earlier this month, Powell said the Justice Department served the Fed grand jury subpoenas threatening a criminal indictment over Powell’s testimony before the Senate Banking Committee last year.—
Ty Roush,
Forbes.com,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Fresh spinach requires large quantities and multiple steps—blanching, shocking, and squeezing—just to yield a usable amount.—
Amber Love Bond,
Southern Living,
29 Jan. 2026
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The bus ended up completely packed, everyone squeezing together in their parkas like a bunch of marshmallows.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Adapting to changing ad spend ByteDance, which owns TikTok and isn’t publicly traded, is driving the industry race in China with the country’s most popular AI app, Doubao, multiple analysts have pointed out.—
Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
25 Jan. 2026
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The 20-year-old California woman driving the sedan was seriously injured, authorities said.—
Christa Swanson,
CBS News,
25 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The Barrio 18 and MS-13 gangs are rivals, battling for territorial control in Guatemala by extorting shopkeepers, transport workers and civilians.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
22 Dec. 2025
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The couple allegedly asked customers’ family members to send original passports to them and then frequently refused to return the passports unless customers paid hundreds of dollars more, effectively extorting them, Ellison’s office said.—
Kristi Miller,
Twin Cities,
22 Dec. 2025
Verb
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The service The concierge team has a, ‘your wish is our command’ philosophy and pride themselves on impressing guests behind their wildest dreams.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
22 Jan. 2026
-
Strike a balance between impressing your friends with your culinary skills and tablescape prowess and outsourcing dishes and being flexible—no formal dining room necessary.—
Cameron Beall,
Southern Living,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Student and faculty critics also accused the university of being too slow to respond to complaints about a rising star astrophysicist, Christian Ott, accused or harassing and discriminating against female graduate students as early as 2012.—
Jaweed Kaleem,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Jan. 2026
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While colectivo members were largely quiet immediately after Maduro’s abduction, some videos released on social media and news outlets have shown men believed to be colectivo members harassing reporters and people in the streets.—
Rebecca Hanson,
The Conversation,
6 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Blackmailing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blackmailing. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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