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
  • Yass has reportedly threatened to stop donating to Congress members who support the ban against TikTok, which would threaten his multi-billion dollar investment in the app.
    Antonio Pequeño IV, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025
  • The Eaton Fire, which has burned over 13,000 acres, continues to threaten homes and has led to widespread evacuations.
    Melissa Noel, Essence, 10 Jan. 2025
Definition of threaten
Verb
  • These forces squeeze a star horizontally while stretching it vertically.
    Robert Lea, Space.com, 10 Jan. 2025
  • Egypt lost $7 billion in crucial revenue from the Suez Canal in 2024 as the conflict in Gaza has squeezed shipping in the Red Sea, according to government officials.
    Vivian Yee, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2025
Definition of squeeze
Verb
  • Banana and Nut Butter In addition to tryptophan, the sugar in ripe bananas may help release insulin, driving larger amino acids into muscle tissue.
    Allison Herries, Verywell Health, 14 Jan. 2025
  • This year's fires, driven by dry conditions and strong winds, have threatened high-value properties, forced evacuations, and underscored the risks of climate change and urban development in fire-prone areas.
    John Mac Ghlionn, Newsweek, 14 Jan. 2025
Definition of drive
Verb
  • The Peekskill Central School District in New York is warning families of a disturbing new scam in which criminals use generative artificial intelligence to mimic children’s voices in an attempt to extort money from unsuspecting parents.
    Muri Assunção, New York Daily News, 12 Jan. 2025
  • Tacopina said the allegations were an attempt to extort money from A$AP Rocky.
    Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2025
Definition of extort
Verb
  • Crews is set to make a bigger impact in NASCAR this season, having already impressed in the ARCA Menards Series.
    Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2025
  • Acheampong impressed on his full Premier League debut and may be in line for more regular minutes in the second half of the season if Maresca does not get a new centre-back in January.
    Simon Johnson, The Athletic, 10 Jan. 2025
Definition of impress
Verb
  • But a divided panel of appeals court judges said the parents hadn’t shown that they or their children had been coerced to believe or act contrary to their religious views.
    Maureen Groppe, USA TODAY, 17 Jan. 2025
  • In early 2018, the Kansas Court of Appeals ruled that Samuels had coerced McCool into letting the deputy sheriff search his apartment and vacated the convictions.
    Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 16 Jan. 2025
Definition of coerce
Verb
  • The human dancing videos and the cat dancing videos on TikTok have nothing on the dancing by politicians who voted for the law forcing its Chinese owner, ByteDance, to either sell the popular and addictive app or face a shutdown in this country.
    New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 18 Jan. 2025
  • Expect ample debates over social media moderation and the future of TikTok after the Supreme Court on Friday backed a law forcing the app’s owner, ByteDance, to sell it to a non-Chinese owner or face a ban in the United States.
    Lauren Hirsch, New York Times, 18 Jan. 2025
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 Jan. 2025.

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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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