blackmail

Fetched 2026-10-26 (cache).

Synonyms: blacktail, black mail, blackball, blackwall, blackmails, bankmail, blackman, blackmagic, blackall, black oil, blackmark

Antonyms: blacktail, black mail, blackball, blackwall, blackmails, bankmail, blackman, blackmagic, blackall, black oil, blackmark

Related words from Datamuse; suggestions, not definitions.

Noun

1. The [[extortion]] of [[money]] or [[favor]]s by [[threat]]s of public accusation, critique{{,}} or exposure.
2. {{lb|en|by extension}} Compromising [[material]] that can be used to [[extort]] someone.
3. {{lb|en|archaic}} A form of [[protection money]] (or corn, cattle, etc.) anciently paid, in the north of England and south of Scotland, to the allies of [[robber]]s in order to be spared from [[pillage]].
4. {{lb|en|English|_|law|historical}} [[black rent|Black rent]]; rent paid in corn, meat{{,}} or the lowest coin, as opposed to [[white rent]], which was paid in silver.

Verb

1. {{lb|en|transitive}} To extort money or favors from (a person) by exciting fears of injury other than bodily harm, such as injury to reputation, distress of mind, false accusation, etc.
2. {{lb|en|Kenya}} To [[speak ill of]] someone; to [[defame]] someone.

Source: Wiktionary · CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wiktionary dump) · cached copy, not a rewrite.