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.

“They are applying a blackmail tactic,” said Richard Moncrieff, a regional analyst with the International Crisis Group, a Brussels-based think tank.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

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 • Feb. 15, 2026

Magyar accused Fidesz of trying to blackmail him and made three allegations of unlawful conduct in a statement on Friday.

From BBC • Feb. 13, 2026

In an earlier simulation, Anthropic showed that Claude and other AI models were at times willing to blackmail users—or even let an executive die in a hot server room—in order to avoid deactivation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 13, 2026

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 "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock