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blackmail

[blak-mayl] / ˈblækˌmeɪl /
NOUN
intimidation for money; money to quiet informer
Synonyms




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.

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Instead, Cohen said the women who reported him immediately only wanted to ensure Weinberg couldn’t use the photos to blackmail them — and those who came forward later were likely motivated by monetary gain.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

They denounced "the state failing to regulate prices", which "allows an integrated group that benefits from considerable upstream margins to dictate, to blackmail, leading to this distortion of competition."

From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026

When it is tied to "an unparalleled moral eminence", he wrote, a fast unto death "amounts to blackmail".

From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026

The criminals hoped the documents within would contain sensitive secrets they could use to blackmail Hughes, who sometimes spent months without leaving his home, eating only chocolate bars and milk, letting his fingernails grow long.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026

She got a house of her own or worked successfully at blackmail or married a rich man.

From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck

For Nate, a bid at redemption comes not from his mother but from Jade, who blackmails the A Taste of Athens manager, Derek into firing him.

From New York Times ● May 24, 2023

Persistent, and desperate, Cassie blackmails her for the spot saying she knows that Carol sells "buddy passes" and that everyone calls her "black market Carol" because of it.

From Salon ● Apr. 29, 2022

Kiki’s former spymaster, the shadowy Dr. Fox, persuades — well, blackmails — her into working for him again, gathering intelligence on possible threats.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 30, 2021

To do this, she blackmails and poisons, while occasionally being filmed in an emerald green light that visually underscores her kinship to the Wicked Witch.

From Slate ● Sep. 16, 2020

Booth blackmails Atzerodt, saying belongings John Wilkes Booth took with he left his hotel room on April 14, 1865. he’s in too deep to back out.

From "Lincoln's Last Days: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever" by Bill O'Reilly

Worse, the patients were the ones feeling emotionally blackmailed into donating money.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026

“We have never blackmailed anyone,” the post said.

From Salon ● Feb. 21, 2026

Which would get tiresome if she weren’t being blackmailed about William, the money and Neha’s perilous position with the police force.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 12, 2026

"We will not allow ourselves to be blackmailed," said Lars Klingbeil, at a press conference in Berlin alongside French Economy Minister Roland Lescure.

From Barron's ● Jan. 19, 2026

“You’re telling me that Dusty Muleman blackmailed the government’s lawyers?”

From "Flush" by Carl Hiaasen

Some have suggested that Moreno had been silent because Miller was blackmailing him.

From Slate ● Aug. 3, 2026

Steadman, 29, was arrested in June 2024 and later charged with one count of blackmailing then Conservative MP William Wragg in order to get the telephone numbers of up to 12 individuals.

From BBC ● Apr. 15, 2026

In Sam Mendes’ 1999 film, “American Beauty,” Lester Burnham, played by Kevin Spacey, kicks off a corporate blackmailing scheme that ultimately leaves him with a $60,000 pay-out.

From Salon ● Dec. 9, 2023

She accused him of blackmailing and bullying school district leaders who supported the proposal.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2023

“I don’t know what you’re getting at—nobody’s blackmailing me.”

From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck




Vocabulary lists containing blackmail


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