as in threatens
to use blackmail against (someone)
The old man was being blackmailed by his nephew.
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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
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
Verb
-
Alas, as the current crisis confirms, such mere facts do not persuade those leading the anti-vaccine crusade that threatens both existing protections and the hope of creating new ones.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
-
In The Housemaid’s Secret, Millie returns, taking a job keeping house for yet another woman she’s never allowed to see — only to discover the truth behind the locked door that threatens to expose secrets far darker than her own.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
11 June 2026
Verb
-
View gallery - 10 images Intended for full-time living, the Porto squeezes a lot into its modest footprint.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
8 June 2026
-
Even Zach Cherry squeezes plenty from his part as the dealership’s manager, who grows loudly resentful when Nate seems more emotionally invested in his biological children than coworkers.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
27 May 2026
Verb
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At a time when corporate values are often reduced to wall art and mission statements, Paul Ingram has spent years studying what actually drives human behavior inside organizations.—
Rodger Dean Duncan,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
-
As Legendary’s Chief Marketing and Commercial Officer, Rich drives the global vision of marketing, branding, communications, while focusing on expanding the studio’s business through new technologies in marketing and data analytics.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
11 June 2026
Verb
-
What impresses Dubi most, however, is not Gasol's fame but his leadership style.—
Tim Genske,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
-
What impresses us most is the consistency and the attention to detail.—
Charles Usher,
Midwest Living,
1 June 2026
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
Verb
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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
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The report includes a screenshot that appears to show Accurso engaging with a comment from an Instagram account that frequently praises Hamas and harasses Jews.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Congress is struggling to meet a fast-approaching deadline to extend a key government spying law, potentially jeopardizing national security as the Iran war drags on.—
Zachary Schermele,
USA Today,
10 June 2026
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While Washington drags its feet, kids across the nation are being exposed to vile, pornographic images and ads with no meaningful safeguards to prevent it.—
Rachel del Guidice,
FOXNews.com,
10 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Blackmails.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blackmails. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.
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