blackmail
Americannoun
-
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.
-
a tribute formerly exacted in the north of England and in Scotland by freebooting chiefs for protection from pillage.
verb (used with object)
-
blackmails,
present (3rd person singular)
-
blackmailed,
past participle, past
-
blackmailing
present participle
-
to extort money from (a person) by the use of threats.
-
to force or coerce into a particular action, statement, etc..
The strikers claimed they were blackmailed into signing the new contract.
noun
-
the act of attempting to obtain money by intimidation, as by threats to disclose discreditable information
-
the exertion of pressure or threats, esp unfairly, in an attempt to influence someone's actions
verb
-
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
-
blackmailsimple
-
blackmailssimple
-
have blackmailedperfect
-
has blackmailedperfect
-
am blackmailingprogressive
-
are blackmailingprogressive
-
is blackmailingprogressive
-
have been blackmailingperfect progressive
-
has been blackmailingperfect progressive
Past
-
blackmailedsimple
-
had blackmailedperfect
-
was blackmailingprogressive
-
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Flush
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
A British woman has been jailed for six years in Hong Kong for blackmail and perverting the course of justice after a court found she made a false allegation of rape.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
"Is this a way to put pressure on us? Is this blackmail?"
From Barron's ● Jul. 7, 2026
The criminals hoped the documents within would contain sensitive secrets they could use to blackmail Hughes, who sometimes spent months without leaving his home, eating only chocolate bars and milk, letting his fingernails grow long.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 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
Hazel was still seething from his blackmail threats earlier.
From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan
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
Worse, the patients were the ones feeling emotionally blackmailed into donating money.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026
“I have never paid Epstein for access to women. I was never blackmailed by Epstein. I was not involved with, and had no knowledge of, any of Epstein’s heinous conduct.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
"We will not allow ourselves to be blackmailed," said Lars Klingbeil, at a press conference in Berlin alongside French Economy Minister Roland Lescure.
From Barron's ● Jan. 19, 2026
Government sources close to the process told the BBC the individual had essentially blackmailed his way into the country using the leaked dataset.
From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2025
“You’re telling me that Dusty Muleman blackmailed the government’s lawyers?”
From "Flush" by Carl Hiaasen
Some have suggested that Moreno had been silent because Miller was blackmailing him.
From Slate ● Aug. 3, 2026
Steadman, 29, was arrested in June 2024 and later charged with one count of blackmailing then Conservative MP William Wragg in order to get the telephone numbers of up to 12 individuals.
From BBC ● Apr. 15, 2026
I spoke to the late-life lovebirds about their process of marital manuscript-making: the good, the not so good and the blackmailing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 19, 2026
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
“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
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.
