blackmails

verb

present tense third-person singular of blackmail
as in threatens
to use blackmail against (someone) The old man was being blackmailed by his nephew.

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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 blackmails The third ended by setting Deborah and Ava on a collision course after Ava blackmails Deborah into becoming head writer of her late-night show, only to render the fallout in cartoonishly broad terms. — Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 29 May 2026 Their antagonism peaked at the end of Season 3, when Deborah achieves her dream of landing a late-night chair and Ava blackmails her way into the head-writer job. — Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 29 May 2026 Collet-Serra directed and executive produced the film that focused on Egerton as an inexperienced TSA agent who ends up in a battle of wits with a mysterious traveler (Bateman) after the stranger blackmails him into allowing a dangerous package onto a flight on Christmas Eve. — Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 22 May 2026 But is Duncan the devil who manipulates, lies and emotionally blackmails anyone in his orbit? — Stephen Schaefer, Boston Herald, 12 Apr. 2026 Something Duncan says in a session with JoAnne leads her to unload some stock, like Martha Stewart in 2004, and Duncan, working this out, blackmails her into passing on inside information from her clients to him. — Television Critic, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2026 Eager to have his cake and eat it too, Benedict blackmails Sophie into taking a job with his mother. — Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 30 Jan. 2026 Shay blackmails him, triggering a father-son feud. — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blackmails
  1. threatens
  2. squeezes
  3. drives
  4. impresses
  5. coerces
  6. harasses
  7. drags
Verb
  • Marie’s secret past threatens to catch up with her, and she is forced to do everything in her power to preserve her new status as lady of the house in post-war anarchy.
    — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Meanwhile, a memory chip shortage threatens to squeeze its margins, its revenue growth is slowing, and even longtime Apple fans admit the maker of aspirational tech has lost some of its product design mojo.
    — Sebastian Herrera, Fortune, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of threatens
Verb
  • That obviously makes Labor Day a particularly good excuse to mix a cocktail that squeezes a little more out of summer.
    — Emily Price, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
  • After leaving Vancouver, the route follows the Fraser River through the fertile Fraser Valley and into the Coast Mountains, passing Hell’s Gate, where the river squeezes through a narrow canyon, before arriving in Kamloops for the night.
    — Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of squeezes
Verb
  • Desalination is becoming increasingly popular, especially as the climate crisis drives more severe heat and drought, undermining water security.
    — Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Rattled by the mystery of the bull, Bum-seok (Hwang Jung-min), the bumbling, trigger-happy police chief of Hope Harbor, drives back into town and is confronted with a disaster zone.
    — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of drives
Verb
  • View gallery - 15 images Dragon Tiny Homes regularly impresses us with its ultra-portable models.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Alas, right at the film’s finish line, Swanberg backstabs his own commitment to honesty when one of Wendy’s pursuers impresses her with a magical ex machina.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of impresses
Verb
  • However, the rotation of this filament clearly dominates how the galaxies within it spin, perhaps by funneling hydrogen gas along the dark-matter filament and onto the galaxies in a way that coerces their spin while providing further fuel for star formation.
    — Keith Cooper, Space.com, 4 Dec. 2025
  • Haunted by the suspicious death of his ailing mother, Ali, a university professor, coerces his enigmatic gardener to execute a cold-blooded act of vengeance.
    — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 14 Nov. 2025
Definition of coerces
Verb
  • Although China’s maritime militia fleet regularly harasses other countries’ small and vulnerable fishing boats, the container ships and bulk carriers responsible for Taiwan’s commerce dwarf any Chinese militia vessel.
    — Eugene Gholz, Foreign Affairs, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Benedict and Sophie meet again in the countryside when Sophie protects a fellow maid after a group of Benedict’s acquaintances harasses her.
    — Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Definition of harasses
Verb
  • Burkhart added that if the trade war drags on, businesses will face far greater risks and consumers — already facing difficulties keeping up with inflation and higher fuel prices — will face a greater challenge with the cost of living.
    — Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The move drags romance into spaces once reserved for a workout or a self-care Sunday.
    — Ashley Lynch, Sacbee.com, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of drags

Browse Nearby Words

blackmailing
blackmails
black market
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Cite this Entry

“Blackmails.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blackmails. Accessed 8 Sep. 2026.

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