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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Recent Examples of extortion
The film stars Frances McDormand as Marge, a shrewd cop who patiently unwinds a complicated series of crimes involving kidnapping, extortion, murder, and the improper use of a woodchipper.
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Danny Horn, EW.com, 29 Dec. 2024
Tren de Aragua gang members are known for violence, murder, kidnapping, extortion, bribery and human and drug trafficking and are linked to more than 100 law enforcement investigations nationwide.
—Bethany Blankley | The Center Square Contributor, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 29 Dec. 2024
Those images rapidly spread across the internet and, in some cases, were wielded as a tool for extortion.
—Andrew R. Chow, TIME, 23 Dec. 2024
Becka’s pregnancy has seemed less urgent in the grand scheme of all the blackmail and violence and extortion underlying the rest of the season.
—Caroline Framke, Vulture, 18 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for extortion 
Danny Horn, EW.com, 29 Dec. 2024
Tren de Aragua gang members are known for violence, murder, kidnapping, extortion, bribery and human and drug trafficking and are linked to more than 100 law enforcement investigations nationwide.
—Bethany Blankley | The Center Square Contributor, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 29 Dec. 2024
Those images rapidly spread across the internet and, in some cases, were wielded as a tool for extortion.
—Andrew R. Chow, TIME, 23 Dec. 2024
Becka’s pregnancy has seemed less urgent in the grand scheme of all the blackmail and violence and extortion underlying the rest of the season.
—Caroline Framke, Vulture, 18 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for extortion
Thesaurus Entries Near extortion
Cite this Entry
“Extortion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extortion. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.
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