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
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
The episode builds to a scene when Duncan, having sniffed out JoAnne’s scheme, blackmails her into an even larger scheme to pump rival executives for business scoops.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 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
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
The episode builds to a scene when Duncan, having sniffed out JoAnne’s scheme, blackmails her into an even larger scheme to pump rival executives for business scoops.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 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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And private preschool owners say the rush of 4-year-olds joining public schools threatens to cripple their businesses.—
Moriah Balingit,
Fortune,
23 Apr. 2026
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But as the years and resentments pile on, their cancerous brotherhood threatens to obliterate them both.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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For the United States, the blockade squeezes Iran’s already weakened economy by denying it long-term cash flow.—
Michelle L. Price,
Fortune,
19 Apr. 2026
-
The waves, which were first used in Boston in 2011, help spread things out so that runners don’t have to walk after the start, when Main Street in Hopkinton squeezes to just 39 feet wide.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
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That drives pocket-protector wearing water engineers a little crazy, because steady outcomes are what these men and women live for.—
Steve Scauzillo,
Daily News,
24 Apr. 2026
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Thousands of Samsung Electronics workers rallied Thursday at its computer chip complex in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, demanding higher bonuses and threatening to strike as booming demand for artificial intelligence drives up memory-chip profits.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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That’s what impresses Grayslake North senior shortstop/third baseman Jane Pritchard.—
Bobby Narang,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Apr. 2026
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Want to make a weeknight meal that really impresses?—
Alana Al-Hatlani,
Southern Living,
9 Apr. 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 share of Americans who disapprove of the job that Congress is doing stands at an all-time high as the partial government shutdown drags on, according to new polling from Gallup.—
Morgan Chalfant,
semafor.com,
22 Apr. 2026
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The longer his nomination drags on, the greater the chance that the Fed and other central banks will be able to look past the Iran war's oil-price shock and get back to worrying about a weakening labor market.—
Matt Peterson,
CNBC,
21 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Blackmails.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blackmails. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.
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