as in cheating
the exaction of a grossly excessive charge for goods or services
six dollars for a cup of coffee is just plain extortion
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of extortion
Baldoni filed a counter suit against her for defamation and extortion, with The New York Times also named as a defendant.
—
Ted Johnson, Deadline, 14 July 2025
Rather than resist, many schools have buckled to extortion demands.
—John Otis, NPR, 7 July 2025
These actions are often for profit, such as bribery, fraud and extortion.
—Joshua Rhett Miller
dan Gooding
gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 July 2025
O’Brien’s predecessor George Cashman pled guilty to extortion, following a series of troubling incidents that included a grand jury investigation into shakedowns of producers on reportedly such films as The Cider House Rules and The Perfect Storm.
—Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 10 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for extortion
Ted Johnson, Deadline, 14 July 2025
Rather than resist, many schools have buckled to extortion demands.
—John Otis, NPR, 7 July 2025
These actions are often for profit, such as bribery, fraud and extortion.
—Joshua Rhett Miller
dan Gooding
gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 July 2025
O’Brien’s predecessor George Cashman pled guilty to extortion, following a series of troubling incidents that included a grand jury investigation into shakedowns of producers on reportedly such films as The Cider House Rules and The Perfect Storm.
—Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 10 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for extortion
Recent Examples of Synonyms for extortion
highway robbery
Noun
-
This highway robbery of our funds directly out of our bank account is a betrayal of everyone who calls New York City home.—
Maria Ramirez Uribe,
Austin American Statesman,
10 Feb. 2025
-
Hospitals have gotten away with this sort of highway robbery for years, thanks to a combination of consolidation and misleading arguments.—
Craig M. Wax,
Boston Herald,
13 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Extortion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extortion. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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