extorted

Definition of extortednext
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

Relevance

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 Baldoni, 42, last year countersued, bringing claims against Lively and her husband, actor Ryan Reynolds, alleging he’d been defamed and extorted and demanding an enormous $400 million in damages. Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 7 Apr. 2026 In schemes orchestrated with Iza, Coberg arranged a fake drug arrest and stood guard while a victim was extorted. Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 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 Alex LaMorie, the 25-year-old man with autism shot dead by police on March 1, called the police because he was being extorted, Howard County Police Chief Gregory Der revealed Thursday. April Santana, Baltimore Sun, 12 Mar. 2026 Gonzales has denied the affair with the aide, Regina Santos-Aviles, and claims he's being extorted by her husband. Caroline Linton, CBS News, 4 Mar. 2026 Nicole Curtis, the former HGTV star whose Rehab Addict show was canceled after a video surfaced of her using a racial slur, is now claiming she was being extorted. Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 18 Feb. 2026 Dearing’s refusal to be extorted out of his home was nearly met with destructive violence. Chase Hunter, Mercury News, 17 Feb. 2026 In his defense, Barnett took the stand to say there was no murder plot and that Thomas extorted him for the money using physical violence – knocking out his teeth, injured his left shoulder, and smacking his private parts. Sydney Pereira, Miami Herald, 27 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for extorted
Verb
  • Minnesota exacted revenge the following spring, ousting Denver in seven games in the conference semifinals.
    Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 13 Apr. 2026
  • The Iran war has exacted a human, emotional toll in the region, and energy disruptions are already having a global economic cost.
    Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 13 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Then in early 2026, Banegas claimed that his attorneys coerced him into pleading guilty and wanted to change his plea.
    Steven Yablonski, CBS News, 8 Apr. 2026
  • The lawmakers also pointed to cases in which individuals and organizations were allegedly pressured or coerced by Chinese officials or affiliated groups, including efforts to block political candidates critical of Beijing from engaging with local communities.
    Asra Q. Nomani, FOXNews.com, 8 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • As a result, many consumers are feeling squeezed.
    Mike Winters, CNBC, 10 Apr. 2026
  • The only family in his murals was the one squeezed atop the lintel.
    Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Decades of warming have wrung many parts of the US dry.
    Mark Gongloff, Mercury News, 17 Jan. 2026
  • Cover the area with a kitchen towel that has been soaked in hot water and then wrung out.
    Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 8 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • And in that quest for unbridled growth, the AI industry has wrested ungodly amounts of capital from investors all looking for the next big thing, ensnaring the entire economy.
    Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2026
  • Prasad and top drug regulator Tracy Beth Høeg have wrested control of vaccine surveillance from career staff.
    Lizzy Lawrence, STAT, 6 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Retailers say the ban forced them to pull 30-50% of their inventory, including some of their top‑selling products.
    Briseida Holguin, CBS News, 12 Apr. 2026
  • Instead, Avdija is at risk of missing out on postseason honors entirely because of a midseason back injury that cost him 16 full games, forced him to leave immediately from a 17th and continues to bug him down the stretch of the season.
    Joe Vardon, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar is warning of another scam that fleeced local residents out of tens of thousands of dollars — this time targeting family members of inmates in the Bexar County jail.
    Saul Pink, San Antonio Express-News, 28 Feb. 2026
  • Mexican cartels have fleeced American victims for hundreds of millions of dollars through timeshare fraud over the decades, treasury officials said, targeted them through call centers staffed by English-speaking telemarketers.
    Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 26 Feb. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Extorted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extorted. Accessed 15 Apr. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on extorted

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster