blackmail

noun
UK: /ˈblækmeɪl/
US: /ˈblækmeɪl/

  1. The act of demanding money or favors from someone by threatening to reveal damaging information about them.

    1. He used blackmail to get what he wanted from his boss. [ ] [ ]
    2. The politician was a victim of blackmail, facing the ruin of his career. [ ] [ ]

Synonyms

coercion extortion
blackmail verb

  1. To demand money or something else of value from a person by using threats to reveal secrets about them.

    1. She tried to blackmail him, but he called the police. [ ] [ ]
    2. They attempted to blackmail the company by threatening to release confidential data. [ ] [ ]

Frequently Asked Questions

The phonetic transcription of "blackmail" is /ˈblækmeɪl/ in British English and /ˈblækmeɪl/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "blackmail": coercion, extortion.

Example usage of "blackmail": "He used blackmail to get what he wanted from his boss.". More examples on the page.