blackmail

verb

Definition of blackmailnext
as in to threaten
to use blackmail against (someone) The old man was being blackmailed by his nephew.

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for blackmail
  1. threaten
  2. squeeze
  3. drive
  4. extort
  5. impress
  6. coerce
  7. force
Verb
  • Even as Trump and other Republicans have threatened some of that coverage, Kennedy has remained mum.
    Aleccia Washington, Twin Cities, 15 Nov. 2024
  • And those agents can actually ruin deals — like the one who tried to negotiate a price down by insulting the home, which turned off her sellers, or another who threatened a sale by going on vacation instead of signing papers at a closing.
    Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 14 Nov. 2024
Definition of threaten
Verb
  • For the third time this season, Jojo calmly squeezed the trigger and neatly folded the first tom.
    Natalie Krebs, Outdoor Life, 7 Nov. 2024
  • These new prices would squeeze consumer budgets, especially for low-income households that spend triple as much of their monthly budgets on apparel as high-income households spend, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
    Annie Nova,Rebecca Picciotto, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2024
Definition of squeeze
Verb
  • Micaela Hanning, Crean Lutheran: The transfer from Calvary Chapel is an explosive point guard who can strike from the perimeter and drive to the basket.
    Dan Albano, Orange County Register, 7 Nov. 2024
  • In 2021, Gonzalez-Nunez allegedly drove a car in a sideshow while his girlfriend hung out of the window with an miniature AK-47.
    Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2024
Definition of drive
Verb
  • 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
Definition of extort
Verb
  • Throughout the application process, we were impressed by their experience and their desire to pursue ambitious, important stories so early in their careers.
    Talia Buford, ProPublica, 14 Nov. 2024
  • Transportation projects are bread and butter for member of congress trying to impress their local constituencies with economic development and job creation.
    Roger Valdez, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024
Definition of impress
Verb
  • The suit, which didn’t say how much White paid the Mexican plaintiffs, alleges that he was coerced into making the settlements.
    Tim Stelloh, NBC News, 4 Nov. 2024
  • Musk has defended the giveaways, saying in a town hall that it was not meant to coerce people to register to vote.
    Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2024
Definition of coerce
Verb
  • After leading a relatively peaceful life as a farmer in northern Africa with his wife, Lucius is forced into slavery and ends up becoming a gladiator like his father.
    Irenie Forshaw, theweek, 13 Nov. 2024
  • Loading your audio article In January, a security camera captured unnerving footage: what appeared to be a bear had forced its way into a Rolls Royce parked outside a home in the Southern California resort community of Lake Arrowhead, gouged the seats and thrashed the interior.
    Grant Stringer, The Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2024
Definition of force
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Thesaurus Entries Near blackmail

blackly

blackmail

blackmailed

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Blackmail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blackmail. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

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More from Merriam-Webster on blackmail

Nglish: Translation of blackmail for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of blackmail for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about blackmail

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