extort

verb

ex·​tort ik-ˈstȯrt 

extorted; extorting; extorts

transitive verb

: to obtain from a person by force, intimidation, or undue or illegal power : wring

also : to gain especially by ingenuity or compelling argument

extorter noun

extortive

ik-ˈstȯr-tiv 

adjective

Did you know?

To extort is literally to wrench something out of someone. Extortion is a mainstay of organized crime. Just as the school bully extorts lunch money from the smaller kids in exchange for not beating them up, thugs extort "protection" money from business owners with threats of violence. But that's only one kind of extortion; a mobster might extort favors from a politician with threats of revealing some dark secret, just as you might extort a favor from a brother or sister by promising not to tell on them.

Synonyms

• exact
• wrest
• wring

Choose the Right Synonym for extort

educe, evoke, elicit, extract, extort mean to draw out something hidden, latent, or reserved.

educe implies the bringing out of something potential or latent.

educed order out of chaos

evoke implies a strong stimulus that arouses an emotion or an interest or recalls an image or memory.

a song that evokes warm memories

elicit usually implies some effort or skill in drawing forth a response.

careful questioning elicited the truth

extract implies the use of force or pressure in obtaining answers or information.

extracted a confession from him

extort suggests a wringing or wresting from one who resists strongly.

extorted their cooperation by threatening to inform

Examples of extort in a Sentence

The criminals extorted large sums of money from their victims.

He was arrested for extorting bribes.

Recent Examples on the Web

The former governor was convicted on corruption charges in 2011 for attempting to extort campaign donations from a children’s hospital and for attempting to sell former President Barack Obama’s U.S. Senate seat. —Asher Notheis, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 25 Sep. 2024

That investigation began after Torres told police that a 21-year-old Chicago man continued to extort him — threatening to release nude photos and videos — if Torres failed to meet his financial demands. —Devan Patel, The Mercury News, 6 Nov. 2024

Typically, scammers will gain access to these accounts to help steal someone's identity, share posts about their scams or to extort a user into paying a ransom demand. —Sam Sabin, Axios, 21 Oct. 2024

Private equity’s deep pockets, its willingness to extort patients, its heavy-handedness with telling doctors how to practice wouldn’t be possible — much less an advantage — in the absence of these larger upstream problems. —Keren Landman, Vox, 3 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin extortus, past participle of extorquēre to wrench out, extort, from ex- + torquēre to twist — more at torture entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

extort

verb

ex·​tort ik-ˈstȯ(ə)rt 

: to get (as money) from a person by the use of force or threats

extorter noun

Etymology

from Latin extortus, past participle of extorquēre "to twist out, extort," from ex- "out, away" and torquēre "to twist" — related to distort, retort, torture

Legal Definition

extort

transitive verb

ex·​tort ik-ˈstȯrt 

: to obtain (as money) from a person by force, intimidation, or undue or unlawful use of authority or power

extorter noun

extortive

-ˈstȯr-tiv 

adjective

Etymology

Latin extortus, past participle of extorquere to remove by twisting, obtain by force, from ex- out + torquere to twist