extorted

verb

past tense of extort
as in exacted
to get (as money) by the use of force or threats a school bully who was used to extorting lunch money from weaker kids

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

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 extorted Clement later successfully extorted one of Roshanki’s friends for $5,000 in drug proceeds, then insisted that Roshanski owed him money for drugs and fraud. — Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 27 Aug. 2026 The police chief allegedly extorted the victim and the victim’s father in connection with the pending murder case. — Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026 The necessity of it to my defence against a more heinous charge could alone have extorted from me so painful an indecorum. — Tracy Grant, Encyclopedia Britannica, 26 June 2026 Richards attained fame as a pioneering male supermodel in major ad campaigns by the likes of Bruce Weber, Richard Avedon, and Helmut Newton, but all along he was being extorted and exploited by Mierers and his followers to bolster (and bankroll) their shaky, pseudoscientific philosophy. — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 16 June 2026 Cutaia, who has a criminal record dating back to the 1990s, extorted two businessmen starting in 2023 — even before his release from federal prison at the end of his 15-year sentence. — John Annese, New York Daily News, 15 June 2026 But Ancel Glink representatives said Odelson, Murphey, Frazier and McGrath overstepped by petitioning to represent Calumet City in both a labor dispute and a lawsuit where a former employee claims Jones extorted him and wrongfully terminated his employment. — Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 27 May 2026 Kraken, one of the world’s oldest crypto exchanges, said it’s being extorted by a criminal group that claims to have access to some client account information. — Olga Kharif, Bloomberg, 13 Apr. 2026 At least three organizations have been extorted and suffered hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages after proprietary information was posted online by IT workers. — Lisa Cavazuti, NBC news, 15 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for extorted
  1. exacted
  2. coerced
  3. squeezed
  4. wrung
  5. wrested
  6. forced
  7. fleeced
Verb
  • As chief of acute care surgery, Firas Madbak sees firsthand the toll exacted by guns.
    — Yona Gavino, Miami Herald, 25 Aug. 2026
  • The story exemplifies Bandyopadhyay’s method of locating the partition’s violence beyond the riots, in the economic destitution that followed and what that destitution exacted from women.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 July 2026
Definition of exacted
Verb
  • Michael Cohen, the president’s former personal attorney, was the prosecution’s star witness but has since publicly stated that Bragg and New York Attorney General Letitia James coerced him into cooperating.
    — Christian Datoc, The Washington Examiner, 4 Sep. 2026
  • The inspection followed a hunger strike by detainees, who in a letter, complained about rotten or worm-infested food, medical neglect, and being coerced into signing deportation orders.
    — Vanessa Romo, NPR, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of coerced
Verb
  • Add in Braxton Berrios, the Giants’ punt returner and backup slot receiver, and that squeezed Slayton out.
    — Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Independent designers, once a discovery engine, were being squeezed, while the biggest brands put more investment into their own stores, creating a dichotomy in experiences that Bron felt was palpable.
    — Hilary Milnes, Vogue, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of squeezed
Verb
  • When cleaning wood or stone, use it barely damp and well wrung, with a pH-neutral cleaner.
    — Louise Parks, Martha Stewart, 17 Aug. 2026
  • On the other hand, detective Paul Johnson, who wrung out false confessions from the four boys, never expresses any remorse.
    — Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of wrung
Verb
  • Another unidentified witness saw the struggle and wrested the knife from Rivas, according to police.
    — David Lyons, Sun Sentinel, 3 Aug. 2026
  • In this case, the production company Embassy Pictures wrested control of Crimewave away from Raimi after a challenging shoot, leading the director to disavow the film.
    — David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 22 July 2026
Definition of wrested
Verb
  • But the truth of it is that Sharaa forced his hand by seizing swathes of the SDF’s territory in a lightning offensive in January.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 6 Sep. 2026
  • In 1963, Gloria Steinem went undercover for a journalism assignment as a Playboy bunny, exposing degrading working conditions that forced policy changes.
    — Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of forced
Verb
  • The text is written on parchment made from sheep, fleeced, their hides soaked in lime, stretched and dried.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026
  • As an example of money wasted by LAHSA’s lack of financial controls, Turner cited the recent federal indictment alleging a homeless services provider fleeced the system of $23 million in fraudulent billings.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of fleeced

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Cite this Entry

“Extorted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extorted. Accessed 12 Sep. 2026.

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