What does "blackmail" mean?
Blackmail: Payment of money exacted by means of intimidation; also, extortion of money from a person by threats of public accusation, exposure, or censure.
Additional senses
- 2.(Eng. Law) Black rent, or rent paid in corn, flesh, or the lowest coin, a opposed to "white rent", which paid in silver. To levy blackmail, to extort money by threats, as of injury to one's reputation.
- 3.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. [U. S.]
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00