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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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 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

When her brother’s behavior threatens the family’s future, Maria Anna secretly takes his place and performs under his name to the same stunning effect.

— Ed Meza, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026
Still, experts with the private AccuWeather service warned that flooding from Isaias threatens southwestern North Carolina and surrounding communities.

— Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of threatens

Verb

That wrestling match itself, however, makes for compelling theater about as often as the camel squeezes through the needle.

— Sara Holdren, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026
The jobs market has been resilient even as stubbornly high inflation squeezes businesses and households.

— Damian J. Troise, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of squeezes

Verb

New seeker drives precision At the heart of PAC-3 Edge sits an advanced seeker developed at Lockheed Martin’s Strigo Product Center.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 9 Oct. 2026
Waymo’s new autonomous vehicle, called the Ojai, drives in Venice Beach, California, on Wednesday, May 27, 2026.

— Henry Payne, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of drives

Verb

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
If Smith impresses in training camp, his non-guaranteed deal could be converted to a standard contract.

— Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 27 Sep. 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

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
Although China’s maritime militia fleet regularly harasses other countries’ small and vulnerable fishing boats, the container ships and bulk carriers responsible for Taiwan’s commerce dwarf any Chinese militia vessel.

— Eugene Gholz, Foreign Affairs, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of harasses

Verb

At the very least, Cathy said in her December affidavit, the couple shouldn’t be living there for free as litigation drags on.

— Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 8 Oct. 2026
Ukraine always has been outmanned by Russia, but as the war drags through its fifth year, the need for personnel is increasingly acute, commanders and analysts say, with some units at only half strength.

— Samya Kullab, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of drags

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“Blackmails.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blackmails. Accessed 13 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of blackmails

verb

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