as in to threaten
to use blackmail against (someone)
The old man was being blackmailed by his nephew.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blackmail
Verb
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Several analysts see the spending commitments as overtures to U.S. President Donald Trump, whose tariffs threaten to roil supply chains and raise costs for the technology industry.—
Zaheer Kachwala and Aditya Soni,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2025 -
The less Trump threatening Canada is in the headlines, the less the Conservatives are getting hammered by their inability to have a good position.—
Sean Collins,
Vox,
28 Apr. 2025
Verb
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For years, researchers have been experimenting with quantization techniques that squeeze their neural network weights into smaller memory envelopes.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
18 Apr. 2025
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Consumer confidence has taken a nosedive in 2025 as Americans grow more concerned that inflation could spike again, and tariffs will squeeze their wallets.—
Austin Denean,
Baltimore Sun,
18 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The Ontario Home Builders’ Association warned last month that tariffs and counter-tariffs on steel and aluminum products would likely drive up the costs of construction materials, making building and buying new homes more expensive, worsening the housing affordability issue.—
Hira Humayun,
CNN Money,
20 Apr. 2025
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The study found a 6% annual decline, driven by poaching, habitat loss and weak law enforcement.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
19 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Moira created a hemorrhagic fever and stole the antidote in attempt to extort millions of dollars from biotech executives by threatening another global pandemic.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2025
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When a mentally disturbed neighbor sets herself on fire and a slumlord tries to extort money from them, the family gets tangled in the corruption that keeps a stranglehold on the slum’s inhabitants.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Apr. 2025
Verb
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These are hourly workers, but they’re not impressed by me.—
Alice Park,
Time,
17 Apr. 2025
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Which player impressed you most with his effort this spring?—
Walter Villa,
Miami Herald,
16 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The administration is threatening to withhold federal money from universities as a way to coerce many of them to comply with administration policies in ways that implicate free speech and in some instances violate legal processes for the withholding of federal support.—
Daniel Hall,
The Conversation,
24 Apr. 2025
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Its alliances were coerced, its innovations lagged behind, and its industrial system collapsed under its own contradictions.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Five years after the pandemic forced children into remote instruction, two-thirds of U.S. fourth graders still cannot read at grade level.—
K. Dara Hill,
The Conversation,
24 Apr. 2025
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Such environments can force the plane downward, disrupt its ability to climb, or reduce lift on the wings, according to aviation experts.—
Marshall Shepherd,
Forbes.com,
24 Apr. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Blackmail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blackmail. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
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