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- Dictionaryblackmail/ˈblakmeɪl/
noun
- 1. the action, treated as a criminal offence, of demanding payment or another benefit from someone in return for not revealing compromising or damaging information about them: "they were acquitted of charges of blackmail"
verb
- 1. demand money or another benefit from (someone) in return for not revealing compromising or damaging information about them: "they use this fact to blackmail him, trying to force him to vote for their candidate" Similar
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Blackmail is the act of threatening to harm someone or reveal a secret unless they do what you want. Learn more about the noun and verb forms, synonyms, idioms and business usage of blackmail with Cambridge Dictionary.
: extortion or coercion by threats especially of public exposure or criminal prosecution. b. : the payment that is extorted. blackmail transitive verb. blackmailer noun. Examples of blackmail in a Sentence. She was a victim of blackmail. The servant extorted blackmail from her employer.
Blackmail is a criminal act of coercion using a threat. As a criminal offence, blackmail is defined in various ways in common law jurisdictions. In the United States, blackmail is generally defined as a crime of information, involving a threat to do something that would cause a person to suffer embarrassment or financial loss. [ 1 ]
Blackmail is the act of threatening to reveal a secret or harm someone unless they pay or do something. Learn the origin, history, examples, and synonyms of blackmail from Dictionary.com.
Blackmail is the act of extorting money or other benefits from someone by threatening to reveal their secrets or harm them in some way. Learn more about the origin, usage and synonyms of this word from Dictionary.com.
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.
Blackmail is the action of threatening to reveal a secret about someone, unless they do something you tell them to do, such as giving you money.
