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
Puck reported that the original script made the Chandler case central to the film’s third act, portraying Jackson as an alleged victim of extortion.
—
Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 6 Nov. 2025
Baldoni’s $400 million countersuit — which accused Lively, Reynolds, and their publicist of extortion and defamation — was dismissed by the judge on June 9.
—Elizabeth Rosner, PEOPLE, 6 Nov. 2025
This is extortion, pure and simple.
—Robin Abcarian, Mercury News, 6 Nov. 2025
Justin Baldoni's lawsuit officially ends months after dismissal The case's termination comes four months after Judge Liman granted a motion for dismissal from Lively's legal team because Baldoni's claims of civil extortion, defamation and false light did not hold up under the law.
—Kimi Robinson, USA Today, 4 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for extortion
Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 6 Nov. 2025
Baldoni’s $400 million countersuit — which accused Lively, Reynolds, and their publicist of extortion and defamation — was dismissed by the judge on June 9.
—Elizabeth Rosner, PEOPLE, 6 Nov. 2025
This is extortion, pure and simple.
—Robin Abcarian, Mercury News, 6 Nov. 2025
Justin Baldoni's lawsuit officially ends months after dismissal The case's termination comes four months after Judge Liman granted a motion for dismissal from Lively's legal team because Baldoni's claims of civil extortion, defamation and false light did not hold up under the law.
—Kimi Robinson, USA Today, 4 Nov. 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 17 Nov. 2025.
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