blackmail
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black·mail

noun \ˈblak-ˌmāl\

Definition of BLACKMAIL

1
: a tribute anciently exacted on the Scottish border by plundering chiefs in exchange for immunity from pillage
2
a : extortion or coercion by threats especially of public exposure or criminal prosecution
b : the payment that is extorted
blackmail transitive verb
black·mail·er noun

Examples of BLACKMAIL

  1. She was a victim of blackmail.
  2. The servant extorted blackmail from her employer.

Origin of BLACKMAIL

black + 1mail
First Known Use: 1552

Other Government and Politics Terms

agent provocateur, agitprop, autarky, cabal, egalitarianism, federalism, hegemony, plenipotentiary, popular sovereignty, socialism

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