MEANING
To coerce someone by threatening disclosure of damaging information.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- blackmail someone into silence
- blackmail for money
On the page
He blackmailed the witness into silence with the copied letters.
She recognized the threat as blackmail before he named a price.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- blackmail
- Past tense
- blackmailed
- Past participle
- blackmailed
- Present participle
- blackmailing
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- blackmail
- Present continuous
- am/is/are blackmailing
- Present perfect
- have/has blackmailed
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been blackmailing
- Past
- blackmailed
- Past continuous
- was/were blackmailing
- Past perfect
- had blackmailed
- Past perfect continuous
- had been blackmailing
- Future
- will blackmail
- Future continuous
- will be blackmailing
- Future perfect
- will have blackmailed
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been blackmailing
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Explore related collections
Usage notes
Primary category: horror. Forms: blackmail; blackmails; blackmailed; blackmailed; blackmailing Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Third-person singular: blackmails.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
Keep a thought for later. Sign in to save privately.