blackmail
Americannoun
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any payment extorted by intimidation, as by threats of injurious revelations or accusations.
-
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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blackmails,
present (3rd person singular)
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blackmailed,
past participle, past
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blackmailing
present participle
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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
-
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
-
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.
See Examples For:
Following his advice to blackmail a loose-cannon Prime Minister into resigning causes her reflux to erupt with a vengeance.
From Salon ● Oct. 22, 2026
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
Carter had vehemently denied the accusations, saying they were a "blackmail attempt" and describing them as "frivolous, fictitious and appalling allegations".
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 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
Opening the cereal box, Bridge heard Alex say, “You don’t know what blackmail is?”
From "Goodbye Stranger" by Rebecca Stead
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
In both, LEPRecon also recruits Mulch to get into the manor, although in the book LEPRecon blackmails Mulch while in the movie the dwarf attempts to negotiate his prison sentence by offering to help.
From Slate ● Jun. 12, 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
"Anyone who tries to sabotage our critical infrastructure and paralyse society is attacking all of us. But we will not allow ourselves to be blackmailed or intimidated by criminal activity."
From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026
Worse, the patients were the ones feeling emotionally blackmailed into donating money.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026
Raising her voice, the former minister said: "I do not react well to being blackmailed."
From BBC ● Feb. 24, 2026
“We have never blackmailed anyone,” the post said.
From Salon ● Feb. 21, 2026
“You will never repeat that to anyone, do you hear me? I’ve come too far to have my position jeopardized! I won’t be blackmailed by a snot-nosed apprentice!”
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
Some have suggested that Moreno had been silent because Miller was blackmailing him.
From Slate ● Aug. 3, 2026
Bondi is under fire after she said last week there was no evidence Epstein kept a "client list" or was blackmailing powerful figures.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2025
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
“What We Do Next” is a three-person chamber drama that takes the scheming and blackmailing of political thrillers like “House of Cards” and shapes them into something like a morality play.
From New York Times ● Mar. 2, 2023
“So he’s been blackmailing Queen Orlagh,” Dain says, and the Roach and I look over at him.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
