What does blackmail mean?

Definitions for blackmail
ˈblækˌmeɪlblack·mail

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word blackmail.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. blackmailverb

    extortion of money by threats to divulge discrediting information

  2. blackmail, blackjack, pressureverb

    exert pressure on someone through threats

  3. blackmailverb

    obtain through threats

Wiktionary

  1. blackmailnoun

    A certain rate of money, corn, cattle, or other thing, anciently paid, in the north of England and south of Scotland, to certain men who were allied to robbers, or moss troopers, to be by them protected from pillage.

  2. blackmailnoun

    Payment of money exacted by means of intimidation; also, extortion of money from a person by threats of public accusation, exposure, or censure.

  3. blackmailnoun

    Black rent, or rent paid in corn, flesh, or the lowest coin, a opposed to white rent, which paid in silver.

    to levy blackmail

  4. blackmailverb

    To extort money from 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.

  5. Etymology: From black + mail.

Wikipedia

  1. Blackmail

    Blackmail is an act of coercion using the threat of revealing or publicizing either substantially true or false information about a person or people unless certain demands are met. It is often damaging information, and it may be revealed to family members or associates rather than to the general public. These acts can also involve using threats of physical, mental or emotional harm, or of criminal prosecution, against the victim or someone close to the victim. It is normally carried out for personal gain, most commonly of position, money, or property.Blackmail may also be considered a form of extortion. Although the two are generally synonymous, extortion is the taking of personal property by threat of future harm. Blackmail is the use of threat to prevent another from engaging in a lawful occupation and writing libelous letters or letters that provoke a breach of the peace, as well as use of intimidation for purposes of collecting an unpaid debt.In many jurisdictions, blackmail is a statutory offense, often criminal, carrying punitive sanctions for convicted perpetrators. Blackmail is the name of a statutory offense in the United States, England and Wales, and Australia, and has been used as a convenient way of referring to certain other offenses, but was not a term used in English law until 1968.Blackmail was originally a term from the Scottish Borders meaning payments rendered in exchange for protection from thieves and marauders. The "mail" part of blackmail derives from Middle English male meaning "rent or tribute". This tribute (male or reditus) was paid in goods or labour ("nigri"); hence reditus nigri, or "blackmail". Alternatively, it may be derived from two Scottish Gaelic words blathaich - to protect; and mal - tribute or payment.

ChatGPT

  1. blackmail

    Blackmail is the act of threatening to reveal or spread potentially damaging, embarrassing, or harmful information about an individual, unless certain demands— usually involving money, property, or favors— are met. It is a criminal offense and involves elements of coercion, manipulation, and exploitation.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Blackmailnoun

    a certain rate of money, corn, cattle, or other thing, anciently paid, in the north of England and south of Scotland, to certain men who were allied to robbers, or moss troopers, to be by them protected from pillage

  2. Blackmailnoun

    payment of money exacted by means of intimidation; also, extortion of money from a person by threats of public accusation, exposure, or censure

  3. Blackmailnoun

    black rent, or rent paid in corn, flesh, or the lowest coin, a opposed to "white rent", which paid in silver

  4. Blackmailverb

    to extort money from by exciting fears of injury other than bodily harm, as injury to reputation, distress of mind, etc.; as, to blackmail a merchant by threatening to expose an alleged fraud

Wikidata

  1. Blackmail

    Blackmail is an act, often a crime, involving unjustified threats to make a gain or cause loss to another unless a demand is met. It may be defined as coercion involving threats of physical harm, threat of criminal prosecution, or threats for the purposes of taking the person's money or property. It is the name of a statutory offence in the United States of America, England and Wales, Northern Ireland, and Victoria, Australia, and has been used as a convenient way of referring to other offences, but was not a term codified by Statute in English law before 1968. It originally meant payments rendered by settlers in the Counties of England bordering Scotland to chieftains and the like in the Scottish Lowlands, in exchange for protection from Scottish thieves and marauders into England. Blackmail may also be considered a form of extortion. Although the two are generally synonymous, extortion is the taking of personal property by threat of future harm. Blackmail is the use of threats to prevent another from engaging in a lawful occupation and writing libelous letters or letters that provoke a breach of the peace, as well as use of intimidation for purposes of collecting an unpaid debt. Some US states distinguish the offenses by requiring that blackmail be in writing. In some jurisdictions, the offence of blackmail is often carried out during the act of robbery. This occurs when an offender makes a threat of immediate violence towards someone in order to make a gain as part of a theft. For example, the threat of "Give me your money or I will shoot you" is an unlawful threat of violence in order to gain property.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Blackmail

    blak′māl, n. rent or tribute formerly paid to robbers for protection: hush-money extorted under threat of exposure or denunciation, esp. of a baseless charge.—v.t. to extort money from a person by this expedient. [Black and A.S. mal, tribute, toll.]

Suggested Resources

  1. blackmail

    Song lyrics by blackmail -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by blackmail on the Lyrics.com website.

  2. Blackmail

    Extortion vs. Blackmail -- In this Grammar.com article you will learn the differences between the words Extortion and Blackmail.

Etymology and Origins

  1. Blackmail

    Originally a tax or tribute paid to robbers or freebooters as a compromise for protection. “Black” implied the Gaelic for security, while mal was Anglo-Saxon for tribute.

Matched Categories

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of blackmail in Chaldean Numerology is: 2

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of blackmail in Pythagorean Numerology is: 1

Examples of blackmail in a Sentence

  1. Matthew Pottinger:

    So, the Party now compiles dossiers on millions of foreign citizens around the world, using the material that it gathers to influence, target, intimidate, reward, blackmail, flatter, humiliate, and ultimately divide and conquer.

  2. Adam Schiff:

    The agency advised those affected to monitor their bank accounts for unusual activity, and to request a credit report along with other safeguards against fraud. The Associated Press, which first reported the breach, cited officials saying that the breach could potentially affect every federal agency. One key question is whether intelligence agency employee information was stolen. This is an attack against the nation, said Ken Ammon, chief strategy officer of software security company Xceedium, who added that the stolen information could be used to impersonate or blackmail federal employees with access to sensitive information. The FBI said in a statement that The FBI was working with interagency partners to investigate the breach, while the DHS said it was continuing to monitor federal networks for suspicious activity and is working aggressively to investigate the extent of the breach. Responding to news of the breach, Congressman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., called on Senate Intelligence Committee to pass cybersecurity legislation passed by the House earlier in the year. This bill will not be a panacea for the broad cyber threats we face, but it is one important piece of armor in our defenses that must be put in place – now.

  3. Michael Cohen:

    I am not. No, okay, are you aware of any videotapes that may be the subject of extortion or blackmail?

  4. Governor Greitens:

    That is a mistake for which I am very sorry. there was no blackmail, there was no violence, there was no threat of violence, there was no threat of blackmail, there was no threat of using a photograph for blackmail.

  5. Kim Kye Gwan:

    We have already stated our intention for denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and made clear on several occasions that precondition for denuclearization is to put an end to anti-DPRK hostile policy and nuclear threats and blackmail of the United States.

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Translations for blackmail

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"blackmail." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/blackmail>.

Discuss these blackmail definitions with the community:

1 Comment
  • nearU.pro
    Blackmail is different from extortion. Although both involve a threat, the key difference is that extortion involves coercion to cause harm or damage to property, while blackmail involves the threat of disclosure of embarrassing or harmful information. 
    LikeReply7 months ago

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