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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.
educe, evoke, elicit, extract, extort mean to draw out something hidden, latent, or reserved.
educe implies the bringing out of something potential or latent.
evoke implies a strong stimulus that arouses an emotion or an interest or recalls an image or memory.
elicit usually implies some effort or skill in drawing forth a response.
extract implies the use of force or pressure in obtaining answers or information.
extort suggests a wringing or wresting from one who resists strongly.
Examples of extort in a Sentence
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'extort.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Latin extortus, past participle of extorquēre to wrench out, extort, from ex- + torquēre to twist — more at torture entry 1
15th century, in the meaning defined above
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Cite this Entry
“Extort.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/extort. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
Kids Definition
extort
verbLegal Definition
extort
transitive verbLatin extortus, past participle of extorquere to remove by twisting, obtain by force, from ex- out + torquere to twist
More from Merriam-Webster on extort
Nglish: Translation of extort for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of extort for Arabic Speakers
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