Definition

1. Noun:

   • The crime of demanding money or other benefits from someone by threatening to reveal damaging or secret information about them: "Blackmail" refers to the illegal act of extortion through threats of exposure.
   • Money or other benefits obtained through such threats: It can also refer to the payment itself that is extorted.

2. Verb:

   • To demand money or something else from someone by threatening to reveal damaging or secret information about them: The action of committing the crime of blackmail.
   • To coerce or pressure someone by using threats: To exert control over someone through intimidation.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • He was arrested for blackmail after threatening to publish the photos.
  • The politician paid the blackmail to keep the scandal quiet.

• Verb:

  • They tried to blackmail the company by threatening to leak its trade secrets.
  • She felt she was being blackmailed into signing the contract.

Advanced Usage

• "Emotional blackmail": A form of psychological manipulation where someone uses fear, obligation, or guilt to control another person's behavior, not necessarily involving demands for money.
  • Using the children to get what she wanted was a form of emotional blackmail.

Variants and Related Words

• Blackmailer (n): A person who commits blackmail.
  • The blackmailer was eventually caught by the police.

Synonyms

• Extortion: The practice of obtaining something, especially money, through force or threats. (This is a broader legal term that includes blackmail.)
• Coercion: The practice of persuading someone to do something by using force or threats.

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

(Note: "Blackmail" is not commonly used in phrasal verb constructions. The verb itself carries the complete meaning.)

Related Idioms

(Note: There are no common idioms centered solely on the word "blackmail." The concept is typically expressed directly by the word itself.)

Noun

1. extortion of money by threats to divulge discrediting information

Verb

1. obtain through threats
2. exert pressure on someone through threats