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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Recent Examples of extortion
He’s been incarcerated since then at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago while the extortion case and a second case alleging fraud and tax evasion are pending against him.
—
Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 21 Jan. 2026
Baldoni filed a countersuit against Lively and Reynolds, accusing them of defamation and extortion, but that has since been dismissed by the judge.
—Benjamin Vanhoose, PEOPLE, 19 Jan. 2026
Many returnees face kidnapping, extortion or violence, forcing them to flee their hometowns again in what experts call double displacement.
—Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 18 Jan. 2026
The top crimes by complaint volume were phishing/spoofing, extortion and personal data breaches.
—Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 15 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for extortion
Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 21 Jan. 2026
Baldoni filed a countersuit against Lively and Reynolds, accusing them of defamation and extortion, but that has since been dismissed by the judge.
—Benjamin Vanhoose, PEOPLE, 19 Jan. 2026
Many returnees face kidnapping, extortion or violence, forcing them to flee their hometowns again in what experts call double displacement.
—Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 18 Jan. 2026
The top crimes by complaint volume were phishing/spoofing, extortion and personal data breaches.
—Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 15 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for extortion
Recent Examples of Synonyms for extortion
Noun
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Emotional cheating involves starting a relationship with someone.—
Abigail Van Buren,
Boston Herald,
23 Jan. 2026
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The Justice Department's most high-profile Clean Air Act criminal case related to emissions cheating was Volkswagen.—
Sarah N. Lynch,
CBS News,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
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In the past, Amazon has suppressed easily accessible buy buttons to prevent price-gouging or pressure brands to lower prices to match pricing on their own website or competitors.—
Jacqueline Munis,
Fortune,
20 Jan. 2026
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As the tournament approaches, some Kansas Citians have raised concerns over the condition of some short-term rentals, price-gouging, or, at the very least, offering subpar properties for premium prices.—
Eric Adler,
Kansas City Star,
10 Dec. 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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While that’s substantial, even a much larger overcharging estimate on the part of PBMs would be a far cry from the $38 trillion national debt.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
6 Jan. 2026
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Jeevarajan’s team also subjected batteries to overcharging and to electrical shorts.—
Andrew Moseman,
IEEE Spectrum,
22 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Extortion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extortion. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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