BLACKMAILS Synonyms: 50 Similar and Opposite Words

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 Tensions ratchet even higher when Gerry learns the truth and, now fully unhinged, blackmails Russ into throwing the game against Texas for a $200,000 bet. — Angelique Jackson, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026 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

Verb

Under his successor, Rob Manfred, owners again have proposed a salary cap, and a likely management lockout threatens the 2027 season.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
On Rogers' earnings call, an analyst asked whether Starlink Mobile threatens to alter the competitive landscape in Canada, but Staffieri noted that there’s limited radio spectrum available for SpaceX to acquire.

— Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of threatens

Verb

When the user presses their finger on the part of the patch that contains the wet fabric, the pressure squeezes the water out of the material, down one of the microfluidic channels, and into the foaming agent chamber.

— Ben Coxworth October 23, New Atlas, 23 Oct. 2026
In the aerodynamic phenomenon known as ground effect, proximity to that surface squeezes air beneath a craft’s wings to reduce drag and boost lift, with far less propulsive power required than for high-altitude flight.

— IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of squeezes

Verb

Lucy’s behavior may be frustratingly inconsistent, but many viewers will recognize the immeasurable suffering that drives it.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026
Additive manufacturing drives development A major part of Beehive’s development strategy involves additive manufacturing.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of drives

Verb

His tenacity impresses Sporting KC’s coaching staff, as well as his teammates.

— Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 29 Oct. 2026
Gunna somehow returns one of Gauff’s blistering serves into the net to kick off the clip, which impresses the 22-year-old tennis star.

— Michael Saponara, Billboard, 9 Oct. 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

Burke Dennings, an eccentric film director, is drunk during a party, and harasses Karl, the family caretaker.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 Oct. 2026
Then Murphy takes a swing at a cop when the flatfoot harasses the two of them during a misunderstanding in an alleyway, and he’s arrested.

— David Fear, Rolling Stone, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of harasses

Verb

Global oil prices are spiking as the US-Iran war drags on, leading to blockbuster profits for oil companies and higher gas prices for US drivers.

— Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2026
That is a staggering fact, one that drags behind it a whole ghost book about what happened to Nantucket and countless other places across the country after so many of their citizens left to try to strike it rich in California.

— Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of drags

Browse Nearby Words

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blackmails

black market

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“Blackmails.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blackmails. Accessed 3 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of blackmails

verb

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