as in cheating
the exaction of a grossly excessive charge for goods or services
six dollars for a cup of coffee is just plain extortion
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of extortion
In fact, researchers at Insight Crime suggest they are not known to participate in cross-border drug trafficking, instead focusing on small-scale, local drug distribution and extortion rings.
—
David Smilde, Time, 3 Nov. 2025
The charges Maryland State Senator Dalya Attar is facing include extortion via interstate communication, and interception and disclosure of a wire, oral or electronic communication.
—Jenna Sundel, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
Renzi served nearly two years in prison for extortion and money laundering convictions.
—David Mark, The Washington Examiner, 31 Oct. 2025
That closeness, Peters said, makes Americans prime targets for extortion, kidnapping and terror.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 26 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for extortion
David Smilde, Time, 3 Nov. 2025
The charges Maryland State Senator Dalya Attar is facing include extortion via interstate communication, and interception and disclosure of a wire, oral or electronic communication.
—Jenna Sundel, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
Renzi served nearly two years in prison for extortion and money laundering convictions.
—David Mark, The Washington Examiner, 31 Oct. 2025
That closeness, Peters said, makes Americans prime targets for extortion, kidnapping and terror.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 26 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for extortion
Recent Examples of Synonyms for extortion
Noun
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The first accounts of cheating and payoffs during exam week surfaced—a blow to the belief in fairness on which the whole system of guilds depended.—
George Packer,
The Atlantic,
6 Nov. 2025
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As the film begins, a mother (Kim Hye-soo) and her young daughter (Park Yeon-ah) have just moved into a new apartment after Mom caught Dad cheating.—
Katie Rife,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The only tactics barred were eye gouging, groin strikes, and biting, none of which was especially policed.—
Sally Jenkins,
The Atlantic,
11 Oct. 2025
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Even if what Weyland-Yutani has is blood-sucking, eye-gouging, and chest-bursting alien monsters.—
James Grebey,
Vulture,
12 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Three games into his Colorado Rapids tenure, the club paying $125,000 in General Allocation Money — less than the going price of an international roster slot — is looking like highway robbery.—
Braidon Nourse,
Denver Post,
14 Sep. 2025
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This was a dangerous situation and was literally highway robbery.—
U T Readers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
21 July 2025
Noun
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But in January, Axon CEO and billionaire cofounder Rick Smith killed their deal, accusing Flock of overcharging and trying to lock customers into its products.—
Thomas Brewster,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
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Normally, the ions slip between the atomic layers of the anode, a process called intercalation, but when the space between the layers is all filled up—as can happen during overcharging—there’s nowhere else for the lithium to go but onto the surface.—
Weiyang Li,
IEEE Spectrum,
23 Aug. 2018
Cite this Entry
“Extortion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extortion. Accessed 10 Nov. 2025.
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