extorts

Definition of extortsnext
present tense third-person singular of extort
as in exacts
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

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for extorts
Verb
  • Shrinking lake ice exacts its price Depending on how much greenhouse gases warm the planet in the coming years, the average lake could lose up to 10 to 28 days of ice cover by the end of the century, says Sapna Sharma, a global change biologist at York University in Canada.
    Berly McCoy, NPR, 2 Mar. 2026
  • Colonialization exacts a heavy toll.
    Taylor Crumpton, Time, 10 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • It also gets compressed, which squeezes the air and puts even more pressure on it, which heats it up.
    Zoe Mintz, CBS News, 15 Mar. 2026
  • As the Iran conflict disrupts energy markets and squeezes jet-fuel supplies, there is a concern that airfares could rise in the weeks ahead.
    Ashley J. DiMella, FOXNews.com, 11 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • However, the rotation of this filament clearly dominates how the galaxies within it spin, perhaps by funneling hydrogen gas along the dark-matter filament and onto the galaxies in a way that coerces their spin while providing further fuel for star formation.
    Keith Cooper, Space.com, 4 Dec. 2025
  • Haunted by the suspicious death of his ailing mother, Ali, a university professor, coerces his enigmatic gardener to execute a cold-blooded act of vengeance.
    Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 14 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • There is a premonitory moment, too, in this book that wrings so much drama from so many backdoor meetings.
    Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 1 Feb. 2026
  • Austen wrings a great deal of humor from Lady Bertram’s dopey languor.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Here, the director wrests a radioactive joy from observing Godard generate ideas with his ensemble, even as others pull their hair out around him.
    David Sims, The Atlantic, 4 Nov. 2025
  • Seattle fans can already envision a future where a one-loss Seahawks team wrests control of the division away from Los Angeles in early November, but Tampa Bay has to be the first domino to fall.
    J.J. Bailey, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
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“Extorts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extorts. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.

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