blackmail
Americannoun
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any payment extorted by intimidation, as by threats of injurious revelations or accusations.
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the extortion of such payment.
He confessed rather than suffer the dishonor of blackmail.
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a tribute formerly exacted in the north of England and in Scotland by freebooting chiefs for protection from pillage.
verb (used with object)
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to extort money from (a person) by the use of threats.
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to force or coerce into a particular action, statement, etc..
The strikers claimed they were blackmailed into signing the new contract.
noun
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the act of attempting to obtain money by intimidation, as by threats to disclose discreditable information
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the exertion of pressure or threats, esp unfairly, in an attempt to influence someone's actions
verb
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to exact or attempt to exact (money or anything of value) from (a person) by threats or intimidation; extort
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to attempt to influence the actions of (a person), esp by unfair pressure or threats
Usage
What does blackmail mean? Blackmail is the act of attempting to force someone to do something or give up something valuable by threatening negative consequences if they don’t, especially revealing negative information about them. Blackmail can also be used as a verb meaning to do such a thing. Less commonly, blackmail can refer specifically to a payment made due to threats or coercion. Perhaps the most common blackmail scenario is forcing someone to pay money in order to avoid having a negative secret revealed about them. Blackmail is a serious crime, but sometimes the word is applied to less serious situations. For example, making your sibling do your chores so you don’t tattle on them to your parents for something they did is definitely blackmail. Example: My life is an open book, so you have nothing to blackmail me with—everyone already knows all my secrets!
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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blackmailsimple
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blackmailssimple
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have blackmailedperfect
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has blackmailedperfect
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am blackmailingprogressive
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are blackmailingprogressive
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is blackmailingprogressive
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have been blackmailingperfect progressive
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has been blackmailingperfect progressive
Past
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blackmailedsimple
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had blackmailedperfect
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was blackmailingprogressive
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were blackmailingprogressive
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had been blackmailingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of blackmail
Explanation
To blackmail someone is to use secret information to get something from them, usually money. Blackmailing is a crime. Blackmail is a type of threat. For example, if a politician's assistant knew the politician was having an affair, the assistant could blackmail the politician by threatening to tell the press. Blackmailers usually want money in return for keeping something a secret, but an employee with dirt on a boss could blackmail the boss to get a promotion. Anyone making threats and demands in return for keeping a secret is engaged in blackmail.
Vocabulary lists containing blackmail
The Diary of Anne Frank
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Flush
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Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda
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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.
Intent on keeping the band’s image clean, and fearful of his own exposure, Epstein ventured to some dark places, metaphorical and otherwise, leaving himself open to blackmail.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 12, 2026
This exemplary service failed to account for her disturbingly poor judgment, risking blackmail and conflict-of-interest allegations, since the Atlanta Police Department appears before her court; nor her lack of candor to the court.
From Slate • Jun. 8, 2026
In a brief statement to the press before surrendering to police at the senate premises, Estrada described the charges as part of an attempt to blackmail him.
From Barron's • Jun. 1, 2026
Robertson said there was no dispute Patel's actions had seriously departed from professional standards but submitted the relationship was instigated by Patient A and "largely driven by her through the ongoing threats and blackmail".
From BBC • May 21, 2026
That afternoon, I-r0k sent e-mails to Aech and me, attempting to blackmail us.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
