blackmail
noun
any payment extorted by intimidation, as by threats of injurious revelations or accusations.
blackmailer
-
a word derived from
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.
Not a bad legacy, considering George Downing is summarized by his biographer thus: “Liar, blackmailer, seducer and thief, this double-dealing shapeshifter would betray both friends and principles without a moment’s misgiving.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 11, 2026
Republican Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana recounted recent comments by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick that Epstein was "the greatest blackmailer ever".
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2025
It follows the friends from their wide-eyed youth to their guilt-ridden adulthood, when the group’s disparate members are reunited by an anonymous blackmailer who threatens to tell all if they don’t pay up.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2022
I knew the trajectory of the Jeff relationship and that he was the blackmailer.
From New York Times ● Jan. 16, 2022
She was also an advocate for “free love,” a blackmailer, an accused bigamist, possibly a prostitute, and a spiritualist who claimed she channeled the spirit of Demosthenes, a statesman from ancient Greece.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
