BLACKMAILING Synonyms: 50 Similar and Opposite Words

blackmailing

verb

present participle of blackmail

as in threatening

to use blackmail against (someone) The old man was being blackmailed by his nephew.

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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 blackmailing Earlier in the day, shoppers who use the company’s app started posting screenshots of a push alert that appeared to be an attempt at blackmailing the retailer. — Evan Clark, Footwear News, 6 Oct. 2026 The software might pursue options such as blackmailing its opponent or grabbing more compute time. — Deven Desai, The Conversation, 29 Sep. 2026 An announcement that is taking the blame game to great heights or lows, depending on your POV and who is blackmailing who — to paraphrase Bonta banger of earlier this week. — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 14 Aug. 2026 In the past, models from OpenAI and other providers were theoretically shown to be capable of blackmailing users to prevent shutdowns. — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 20 July 2026 Later, we’re treated to an electrifying scene of Dennis blackmailing a woman named Joyce Tercek in an elevator. — Erin Qualey, Vulture, 10 June 2026 Of course, Lili responds by blackmailing her, threatening to out her for accepting the principal position knowing she'd been mistakenly recruited for the job. — Matt Cabral, Entertainment Weekly, 1 June 2026 At its mid-’90s peak, upwards of 14 million people tuned in each week to see who was sleeping with, blackmailing or attempting to murder whom. — Andrea Lavinthal, PEOPLE, 22 Apr. 2026 Members of the group allegedly conduct coordinated extortions of teens by blackmailing them. — Jt Moodee Lockman, CBS News, 26 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for blackmailing

Verb

Singapore is now threatening to prosecute companies responsible for the wildfires.

— Jay Ganglani, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
Despite early reports Thursday night of passengers on the flight physically threatening flight crew members, that’s not what materialized, according to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office.

— Vinod Sreeharsha, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of threatening

Verb

The remarks followed the release of strong quarterly results, with revenue and earnings beating analysts’ expectations despite a 6% downturn in revenue due to pressure squeezing all broadband purveyors.

— Dade Hayes, Deadline, 22 Oct. 2026
Fuel expenses are squeezing daily household budgets and tightening cash flow toward the end of the month, with reports indicating a growing number of French employees are requesting payroll advances to manage month end expenses.

— , CNBC, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of squeezing

Verb

That's primarily the point, said Idaho House Majority Leader Jason Monks, a Republican who sponsored the measure as a means of driving up voter turnout during the midterm elections.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2026
Technique works well in testing This strategy optimizes both the transport and perovskite layers together, driving efficiency and durability to record levels.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of driving

Verb

Among the new rackets were providing cheap workers to new industries, ruling the docks of large port cities, extorting money from trading companies, and working for political parties to intimidate rival voters.

— Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
He was accused of extorting private contractors for bribes between 2018 and 2021 in exchange for helping the companies keep and obtain work on school construction contracts.

— David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of extorting

Verb

After stepping into a bigger role with most of the Heat’s rotation regulars out and impressing in Saturday night’s preseason loss to the Timberwolves, Conwell again made some positive plays on Wednesday.

— Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2026
The interior walls are patterned with motifs ranging from grapevines to geometric forms made by impressing food containers into the concrete.

— Tim Hornyak, New York Times, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of impressing

Verb

From harassing Brady over his divorce from Gisele Bündchen on social media to trying to be a rapper and much more, Brown’s post-football life has been one filled with public outbursts and controversial statements and stunts.

— Scott Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2026
The league is also partnering with a third-party service provider to help monitor and control harassing messages.

— Jessica Golden,Contessa Brewer, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of harassing

Browse Nearby Words

blackmailers

blackmailing

blackmails

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Blackmailing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blackmailing. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of blackmailing

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

milieu

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes