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
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
Donald wins the governor’s race, but Lee blackmails him into signing over his family’s land to the Osage Nation in memory of his late brother.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2025
Shay blackmails him, triggering a father-son feud.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2025
Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 30 Jan. 2026
Donald wins the governor’s race, but Lee blackmails him into signing over his family’s land to the Osage Nation in memory of his late brother.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2025
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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Drought threatens the existence of the Western cowboy.—
Shi En Kim,
AZCentral.com,
26 Mar. 2026
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Industry analysts say the agreement threatens to undermine business confidence in the United States by exerting unprecedented executive power to influence the private sector.—
Michael Copley,
NPR,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The prospect of higher food prices comes as the category already squeezes many shoppers.—
Max Zahn,
ABC News,
19 Mar. 2026
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It also gets compressed, which squeezes the air and puts even more pressure on it, which heats it up.—
Zoe Mintz,
CBS News,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The social experience of living in Margaritaville, focused around the central activity space, drives much of the interest.—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacbee.com,
26 Mar. 2026
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Lower compensation drives workers away, reduces availability and increases turnover.—
Peter Mattes,
Baltimore Sun,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Offensive line impresses Despite starting tackle Ryan Hughes and left guard Cade Bennett being held out of practice, TCU’s offensive line had a strong opening day of camp.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
24 Mar. 2026
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But what impresses Auriemma the most is Quinonez’s maturity, especially in how quickly she’s adapted to a brand new style of basketball.—
Emily Adams,
Hartford Courant,
22 Mar. 2026
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.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
4 Dec. 2025
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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.—
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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The Transportation Security Administration may have to shut down operations at some airports if the budget impasse drags on, the agency’s acting head said Wednesday, even as record wait times for travelers did little to end the standoff over the funding fight in Congress.—
Kevin Freking,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Mar. 2026
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Taipei is particularly concerned that as the Middle East conflict drags on, American forces are depleting their stockpile of long-range cruise missiles that would be critical to repel a Chinese assault on Taiwan, the Financial Times reported.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
24 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Blackmails.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blackmails. Accessed 28 Mar. 2026.
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