as in to threaten
to use blackmail against (someone)
The old man was being blackmailed by his nephew.
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blackmail
Verb
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If the sky becomes threatening and thunder can be heard, find a safe place to shelter.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
3 June 2025 -
President Donald Trump’s new tariffs—both enforced and threatened—are continuing to have an outsized impact on the global economy.—
Megan Poinski,
Forbes.com,
3 June 2025
Verb
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Hundreds of people squeezed into the Jewish Community Center in Boulder, Colo., for a vigil that featured prayer, singing and emotional testimony from a victim and witnesses of the firebombing attack in the city’s downtown, after a federal judge blocked the deportation of the suspect’s family.—
Colleen Slevin,
Los Angeles Times,
5 June 2025
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In some towns, utility poles were removed so the caravans could squeeze through.—
Angela Jackson,
Forbes.com,
5 June 2025
Verb
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Sundowns’ success has also arguably been good for South Africa, helping drive new standards, develop players and coaches, and change perceptions about what is possible for clubs from the continent when investment is made available.—
Simon Hughes,
New York Times,
7 June 2025
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Adrienne Long, 38, of Magnolia was killed around 1:15 p.m. Tuesday after a 2015 Chevrolet driving north on U.S. 79 near Magnolia crossed the turning lane and collided head-on with the 2015 Nissan that Long was driving south, according to a report.—
Grant Lancaster,
Arkansas Online,
7 June 2025
Verb
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He should have been arrested right then and there for the FBI for trying to extort Natalie's mother.—
Audrey Conklin,
FOXNews.com,
30 May 2025
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Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, then alleged in a legal filing that Lively was attempting to extort a statement of support from Swift.—
Kory Grow,
Rolling Stone,
22 May 2025
Verb
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Harrison impressed in that performance, submitting former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm by submission in the second round at UFC 400.—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes.com,
4 June 2025
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With a home this special, of course, the primary suite — with its two levels and four rooms — would also be designed to impress.—
Angel Saunders,
People.com,
4 June 2025
Verb
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The alleged kidnappers shocked the victim with electric wires, held him upside down from the top of a staircase, cut his leg with a saw and threatened to kill his family in a bid to coerce their Italian hostage to unlock his Bitcoin account, prosecutors said.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
30 May 2025
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Swat is coerced into taking on the role or finally getting legal comeuppances for all of his misdeeds and ends up taking on solving the mystery of a series of disappearances plaguing Echo city.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
29 May 2025
Verb
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That gives you a puncher’s chance against a team that runs on makes and misses and forces defensive miscues by sheer virtue of its pace of play.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
30 May 2025
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Set in the winter of 1591, the play unfolds across three clandestine meetings where the rival playwrights are forced into creative collaboration amid a climate of conspiracy and paranoia.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
30 May 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Blackmail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blackmail. Accessed 11 Jun. 2025.
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