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
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blackmail
Verb
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At Columbia University in New York, demonstrations against the war, while mostly peaceful, also led to the occupation and vandalizing of buildings and what many Jewish students described as a threatening antisemitic atmosphere on campus.—
Erin Moriarty,
CBS News,
23 Mar. 2025 -
Shortly before his death, A.B. confronted Lilly in his office and threatened to expose her for misappropriating funds, illegally securing contracts, trading favors with different vendors and sneaking individuals into the White House.—
Max Gao,
Variety,
23 Mar. 2025
Verb
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This 2019 retread attempts to squeeze that same emotional response out of viewers, simply by recreating every frame through photorealistic CGI.—
Staff Author,
EW.com,
22 Mar. 2025
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But skyrocketing home prices and stubbornly high mortgage rates in the past few years have squeezed many buyers to the sidelines of the market, raising concerns that this year will see a nationwide drop in sales even during the spring homebuying season.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
22 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Ultimately, the league’s decision-making on NBA expansion will be driven by a combination of market size, media presence, economic factors, and ownership interest.—
Giovanni Malloy,
Forbes.com,
28 Mar. 2025
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This approach delivers precision targeting that drives measurable results.—
David Moin,
Footwear News,
27 Mar. 2025
Verb
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He’s accused of extorting and defrauding a 72-year-old Newton woman out of more than $480,000.—
Flint McColgan,
Boston Herald,
25 Mar. 2025
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Several public schools reported days ago that they were being extorted by criminals, prompting them to propose virtual classes, according to state television station TV Perú.—
Michael Rios,
CNN,
18 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The latter film centers on Billy Brown (Vincent Gallo), who was recently released from prison and returns to his hometown with a desperate need to impress his parents.—
Travis Bean,
Forbes,
22 Mar. 2025
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Doherty says Cooper — who makes his acting debut in the series — impressed her.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
21 Mar. 2025
Verb
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These tariffs were originally intended to pressure Mexico to step up immigration enforcement at the U.S. border, and to coerce all three countries into doing more to limit illicit fentanyl trafficking into the United States.—
Kevin Breuninger,
CNBC,
17 Mar. 2025
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Read more Iraq The World's Selective Outrage—Alawite Massacres in Syria Deserve Our Attention | Opinion The Asayish, Kurdistan's official security organization, regularly targets Assyrians in the Nahla Valley, coercing them to sign fake concessions.—
David Faris,
Newsweek,
17 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The issue, which involved test-takers being cut off early or forced to reboot during the exam, has sparked outrage and raised questions about the fairness of the College Board’s response.—
Scott White,
Forbes,
19 Mar. 2025
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This year, the universe seems to have similar plans, with the L.A. wildfires forcing her to slow down again.—
Meagan Jordan,
Rolling Stone,
19 Mar. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Blackmail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blackmail. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.
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