as in squeezing
to get (as money) by the use of force or threats
a school bully who was used to extorting lunch money from weaker kids
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Recent Examples of extorting
And in response, the Maduro regime is extorting them by holding their nationals in prison and forcing them to engage with the Maduro regime for their release.
—
Manuel Rueda, NPR, 4 Oct. 2025
Taxi and bus drivers, meanwhile, say gangs are extorting them for money and that the government is not doing enough to intervene.
—Connor Greene, Time, 2 Oct. 2025
The student at Fieldstone Middle School in Stony Point in the New York City metropolitan area was accused of extorting classmates under the age of 16 using explicit material to get gift cards or more explicit content.
—Nancy Cutler, USA Today, 20 Sep. 2025
Google also stated that ShinyHunters commonly uses an attack tactic of extorting victims using emails or telephone calls demanding bitcoin ransom payments within 72 hours of compromise.
—Davey Winder, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2025
He was charged in May 2024 with extorting contractors on school construction projects and then accepting tens of thousands of dollars in bribes from those companies.
—Andrew Brown, Hartford Courant, 4 Aug. 2025
Manuel Rueda, NPR, 4 Oct. 2025
Taxi and bus drivers, meanwhile, say gangs are extorting them for money and that the government is not doing enough to intervene.
—Connor Greene, Time, 2 Oct. 2025
The student at Fieldstone Middle School in Stony Point in the New York City metropolitan area was accused of extorting classmates under the age of 16 using explicit material to get gift cards or more explicit content.
—Nancy Cutler, USA Today, 20 Sep. 2025
Google also stated that ShinyHunters commonly uses an attack tactic of extorting victims using emails or telephone calls demanding bitcoin ransom payments within 72 hours of compromise.
—Davey Winder, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2025
He was charged in May 2024 with extorting contractors on school construction projects and then accepting tens of thousands of dollars in bribes from those companies.
—Andrew Brown, Hartford Courant, 4 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for extorting
Verb
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But, to do you any good, squeezing the veins must propel the blood in the right direction, toward the heart.—
Bryant Stamford,
Louisville Courier Journal,
2 Oct. 2025
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The earbuds are controlled by squeezing the stem.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Other charges dismissed as part of an April plea agreement included two counts of persuading or coercing a minor to engage in prostitution.—
Nick Ferraro,
Twin Cities,
25 Sep. 2025
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The statute allows students to reflect, meditate, pray, or sit quietly by individual choice, but prohibits schools from coercing students into any particular activity.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Dams and water diversions became engines of patronage, enriching insiders, killing rivers and exacting a terrible cost from rural communities.—
Nik Kowsar,
Time,
2 Oct. 2025
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Courts, however, apply an exacting standard of review, known as strict scrutiny, and rarely does a law survive such analysis.—
Timothy R. Holbrook,
The Conversation,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Tropical storm warnings are in effect for the central and northwestern Bahamas where the tropical storm is currently wringing out heavy rain.—
Chris Dolce,
CNN Money,
28 Sep. 2025
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For the past several years, writers and pundits have been wringing their hands over how few men are supposedly writing and reading fiction today.—
Robert Rubsam,
Vulture,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The outbreak was forcing a shortage of eggs as well, leading some grocers to restrict how many dozens of eggs consumers could buy per visit.—
Olivia Evans,
Louisville Courier Journal,
1 Oct. 2025
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Meanwhile, American companies are beginning to pay attention to these Chinese AI giants, forcing them to grapple more publicly with copyright protections.—
Andrew R. Chow,
Time,
1 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Extorting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extorting. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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