blackmail

5 definitions • 5 examples

the act of getting money from people or forcing them to do something by threatening to tell a secret of theirs or to harm them:

If you are in a position of authority, any weakness leaves you open to blackmail.

to get money from someone by blackmail:

blackmail someone into something They used the photographs to blackmail her into spying for them.

the act of threatening to harm someone or someone's reputation unless the person does as you say, or a payment made to someone who has threatened to harm you or your reputation if you fail to pay the person:

Reckless behavior made him an easy target for blackmail.

a situation in which threats are made to harm a person or organization if they do not do something such as give someone money:

Large corporations can be vulnerable to blackmail demands by computer hackers.

to make threats to harm a company or organization if they do not do something you want, such as give you money:

A former executive, seeking damages of $2.5 million, was accused of trying to blackmail the company.