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
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
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
-
This drastic move threatens the important accessibility and diversity of content available to Arkansans.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
15 Jan. 2026
-
San Jose is the latest city whose use of the cameras to snag criminal suspects, critics say, also threatens privacy and potentially runs afoul of state laws barring access of camera data by out-of-state and federal agencies including immigration enforcement.—
Ethan Baron,
Mercury News,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
As the moon follows an elliptical path, Saturn’s gravity stretches and squeezes it.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Dec. 2025
-
View gallery - 12 images This recently completed tiny house squeezes a lot of living space into a compact footprint using clever design.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
27 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The exhilaration of constant research and development is part of what drives this culinary team.—
Su-Jit Lin,
Southern Living,
15 Jan. 2026
-
Higher demand for MBSs drives bond prices up.—
Jeff Lazerson,
Oc Register,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Higgs delivered in the way that Streets expect from a player who continually impresses his coaches with his maturity.—
Steve Millar,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Jan. 2026
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What impresses Lanthimos most is Plemons’ willingness to relinquish control.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
12 Jan. 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
-
Ibrahim comes and sits next to me and harasses me.—
Tal Shalev,
CNN Money,
4 Jan. 2026
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Man harasses people with knife in Eastie Deigo Bautista-Perez, 36, of East Boston, is under arrest and facing charges of assault with a dangerous weapon and two counts of disorderly conduct after some alleged threatening behavior.—
Flint McColgan,
Boston Herald,
30 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Steer clear of clothing that drags on the floor.—
Stacey Leasca,
Travel + Leisure,
12 Jan. 2026
-
The defensive coordinator search drags on.—
Ryan Kartje,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Blackmails.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blackmails. Accessed 18 Jan. 2026.
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