blackmail
Americannoun
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any payment extorted by intimidation, as by threats of injurious revelations or accusations.
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the extortion of such payment.
He confessed rather than suffer the dishonor of blackmail.
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a tribute formerly exacted in the north of England and in Scotland by freebooting chiefs for protection from pillage.
verb (used with object)
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to extort money from (a person) by the use of threats.
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to force or coerce into a particular action, statement, etc..
The strikers claimed they were blackmailed into signing the new contract.
noun
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the act of attempting to obtain money by intimidation, as by threats to disclose discreditable information
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the exertion of pressure or threats, esp unfairly, in an attempt to influence someone's actions
verb
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to exact or attempt to exact (money or anything of value) from (a person) by threats or intimidation; extort
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to attempt to influence the actions of (a person), esp by unfair pressure or threats
Usage
What does blackmail mean? Blackmail is the act of attempting to force someone to do something or give up something valuable by threatening negative consequences if they don’t, especially revealing negative information about them.Blackmail can also be used as a verb meaning to do such a thing.Less commonly, blackmail can refer specifically to a payment made due to threats or coercion.Perhaps the most common blackmail scenario is forcing someone to pay money in order to avoid having a negative secret revealed about them.Blackmail is a serious crime, but sometimes the word is applied to less serious situations. For example, making your sibling do your chores so you don’t tattle on them to your parents for something they did is definitely blackmail.Example: My life is an open book, so you have nothing to blackmail me with—everyone already knows all my secrets!
Other Word Forms
- blackmailer noun
Etymology
Origin of blackmail
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The famous Maggie Fox, who once earned more than most American men, now used her treasured love story to blackmail the Kanes for enough money to live on.
From Literature
Raising her voice, the former minister said: "I do not react well to being blackmailed."
From BBC
The man, who cannot be named, was arrested, but within hours Rose was charged with blackmail and later a further charge of perverting the course of public justice.
From BBC
“We have never blackmailed anyone,” the post said.
From Salon
J. Edgar Hoover, who led the FBI for 48 years, had established a personal fiefdom devoted to consolidating power and pursuing his own personal obsessions, sometimes with blackmail and coercion.
From Salon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
