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
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Officials say the invasive predator threatens the Bay's ecosystem by preying on native species.
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The freshwater mollusk, first spotted in North America in the Delta in 2024, threatens water systems by clogging pipes and altering the food web.
Verb
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One of our favorite budget models on the market right now is HP's OmniBook X Flip, which squeezes every bit of performance out of its components to deliver capable everyday productivity performance in a good-looking package.
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That suits floating-rate lenders, who earn more when rates stay up, and squeezes any borrower trying to refinance into those rates.
Verb
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By stripping out parts and, crucially, reducing the number of unique parts, the company shortens manufacturing time, raises reliability, and drives down cost, all at once.
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Fire shelters are mandatory equipment for crews who work across rugged terrain where things can change at a moment’s notice, especially when extremely dry and windy weather drives the flames, as happened last Saturday.
Verb
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The group also impresses with unique choreography, incorporating Pilates balls into their routine.
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Newcastle are keen to get the Munoz transfer sealed, given that if the versatile attacker impresses on the global stage, that may prompt greater interest.
Verb
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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.
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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.
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.
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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.
Verb
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Stanford research on more than 100,000 developers found that teams often feel quicker with AI early on, while at the same time racking up technical debt that drags on them later.
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Frieson then appears, drags her by the arm, and closes the door.
Cite this Entry
“Blackmails.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blackmails. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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