Blackmail Definition

blăkmāl
blackmailed, blackmailing
noun
Extortion of money or something else of value from a person by the threat of exposing a criminal act or discreditable information.
American Heritage
A tribute paid to freebooters and bandits along the Scottish border to assure safety from looting.
Webster's New World
Something of value, especially money, extorted in this manner.
Refused to pay blackmail.
American Heritage
Payment extorted by threatening to disclose information that could bring disgrace or ruin.
Webster's New World
Tribute formerly paid to freebooters along the Scottish border for protection from pillage.
American Heritage
Synonyms:
verb
blackmailed, blackmailing
To get or try to get blackmail from.
Webster's New World
To coerce (into doing something) as by threats.
Webster's New World
To extort money from (a person) by exciting fears of injury other than bodily harm, such as injury to reputation, distress of mind, false accusation, etc.; as, to blackmail a merchant by threatening to expose an alleged fraud.
Wiktionary
Synonyms:

Origin of Blackmail

  • The word is variously derived from the tribute paid by English and Scottish border dwellers to Border Reivers in return for immunity from raids and other harassment. This tribute was paid in goods or labour, in Latin reditus nigri "blackmail"; the opposite is blanche firmes or reditus albi "white rent", denoting payment by silver. Alternatively, McKay derives it from two Scottish Gaelic words blathaich, pronounced (the th silent) bl-aich, "to protect" and mal (“tribute, payment”). He notes that the practice was common in the Highlands of Scotland as well as the Borders.

    From Wiktionary

  • From black + mail (“a piece of money”).

    From Wiktionary

  • black mail

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

Blackmail Sentence Examples

  • Then he added, "You didn't try to blackmail him into quitting the election, did you?"

  • You should not use information you learn to blackmail, harrass or slander another person.

  • The order in Naples, which alone was afterwards recognized as the legitimate descendant of the Jerusalem community, was empowered to seize and confine anyone suspected of leprosy, a permission which led to the establishment of a regular inquisitorial system of blackmail.

  • Many of these minor chiefs had been expelled from their possessions, had taken refuge in the hills and forest, and retaliated upon the Mahratta usurpers by wasting the lands which they had lost, until the Mahrattas compounded for peace by payment of blackmail.

  • But, once free, he had no scruple in cheating the imperial brigand of his blackmail.

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Words Starting With

BBLBLA

Words Ending With

LILAIL

Unscrambles

blackmail

Words Starting With B and Ending With L

Starts With B & Ends With LStarts With BL & Ends With LStarts With B & Ends With IL

Word Length

9 Letter Words9 Letter Words Starting With B9 Letter Words Ending With L