as in squeezing
to get (as money) by the use of force or threats
a school bully who was used to extorting lunch money from weaker kids
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of extorting
Bandit gangs control entire districts, extorting protection money from communities in cash or kind, killing those that resist.
—
Obi Anyadike, semafor.com, 26 Jan. 2026
Instead of extorting money to decrypt data in a company’s own system, an attacker can just threaten to release sensitive data if the ransom isn’t paid.
—Megan Poinski, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
After a relative suffered an accident, the cops who responded ended up extorting money from him, Ramírez said.
—Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 18 Jan. 2026
The Barrio 18 and MS-13 gangs are rivals, battling for territorial control in Guatemala by extorting shopkeepers, transport workers and civilians.
—CBS News, 22 Dec. 2025
The couple allegedly asked customers’ family members to send original passports to them and then frequently refused to return the passports unless customers paid hundreds of dollars more, effectively extorting them, Ellison’s office said.
—Kristi Miller, Twin Cities, 22 Dec. 2025
Trump seems unconcerned that extorting his partners contravenes the principles of what was designed as a free-trade accord.
—Stephania Taladrid, New Yorker, 11 Dec. 2025
On November 22, Russia’s National Guard said an organized crime group in Moscow had been arrested, accused of kidnapping war veterans and extorting money from them and their families.
—Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Nov. 2025
In addition, the embassy said travelers should be aware of road checkpoints, some set up by law enforcement and some set up by criminals with the goal of extorting money.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 25 Nov. 2025
Obi Anyadike, semafor.com, 26 Jan. 2026
Instead of extorting money to decrypt data in a company’s own system, an attacker can just threaten to release sensitive data if the ransom isn’t paid.
—Megan Poinski, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
After a relative suffered an accident, the cops who responded ended up extorting money from him, Ramírez said.
—Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 18 Jan. 2026
The Barrio 18 and MS-13 gangs are rivals, battling for territorial control in Guatemala by extorting shopkeepers, transport workers and civilians.
—CBS News, 22 Dec. 2025
The couple allegedly asked customers’ family members to send original passports to them and then frequently refused to return the passports unless customers paid hundreds of dollars more, effectively extorting them, Ellison’s office said.
—Kristi Miller, Twin Cities, 22 Dec. 2025
Trump seems unconcerned that extorting his partners contravenes the principles of what was designed as a free-trade accord.
—Stephania Taladrid, New Yorker, 11 Dec. 2025
On November 22, Russia’s National Guard said an organized crime group in Moscow had been arrested, accused of kidnapping war veterans and extorting money from them and their families.
—Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Nov. 2025
In addition, the embassy said travelers should be aware of road checkpoints, some set up by law enforcement and some set up by criminals with the goal of extorting money.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 25 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for extorting
Verb
-
The solar sector has been grappling with a prolonged price slump and oversupply, squeezing margins even as leading producers continue to add capacity.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
4 Feb. 2026
-
For generations, Americans who wanted orange juice without the work of squeezing fresh fruit cracked open a can and watched a cylinder of frozen juice go ker-plunk into a pitcher.—
Dee-Ann Durbin,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Guevara and two colleagues, then-detectives Michael Mason and Ernest Halvorson, then orchestrated a frame-up by coercing one witness to identify Rios by beating him with a phone book and flashlight, and another by threatening to charge him with obstruction, according to the plaintiffs’ allegations.—
Jason Meisner,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Feb. 2026
-
However, this kind of rethinking of coverage is not about coercing people to accept worse care in exchange for money.—
Jared Rhoads,
STAT,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The 22-year-old, now a likely NBA first-round pick, aims to make Wednesday night’s game his best yet, while exacting from revenge for 2025.—
Edgar Thompson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Glazer proved an exacting customer.—
Mark Lamster
Architecture Critic,
Dallas Morning News,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Democrats wringing their hands and making appeals to process while the President sends people to Salvadoran prisons without trial are unfit to meet the moment, this theory says.—
Nathan Heller,
New Yorker,
1 Feb. 2026
-
Squeeze out excess water without wringing the scarf.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
In August 2024, students stormed her official residence, smashing walls and looting its contents, forcing her to flee into neighboring India and exile.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
10 Feb. 2026
-
In 2022, gilt markets were shaken when then-Prime Minister Liz Truss announced a swathe of unfunded tax cuts — forcing an intervention from the Bank of England and leading to Truss’ resignation after just 44 days into the job.—
Chloe Taylor,
CNBC,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Now the president is again pitching the idea that wresting control of Greenland away from Denmark could solve the problem.—
Josh Funk,
Fortune,
11 Jan. 2026
-
Hopes for both lower interest rates and a solid economy have helped other areas of the stock market climb recently, wresting leadership away from the Big Tech and AI stocks that dominated the market for years.—
Stan Choe,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Extorting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extorting. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
