Meaning of "blackmail" in the English dictionary

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD BLACKMAIL

See black, mail³.

Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.

PRONUNCIATION OF BLACKMAIL

blackmail  [ˈblækˌmeɪl]

GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF BLACKMAIL

Blackmail is a verb and can also act as a noun.

A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

The verb is the part of the sentence that is conjugated and expresses action and state of being.

See the conjugation of the verb blackmail in English.

WHAT DOES BLACKMAIL MEAN IN ENGLISH?

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 of art 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.

Definition of blackmail in the English dictionary

The first definition of blackmail in the dictionary is the act of attempting to obtain money by intimidation, as by threats to disclose discreditable information. Other definition of blackmail is the exertion of pressure or threats, esp unfairly, in an attempt to influence someone's actions. Blackmail is also to exact or attempt to exact from by threats or intimidation; extort.

CONJUGATION OF THE VERB TO BLACKMAIL

PRESENT

Present

I blackmail

you blackmail

he/she/it blackmails

we blackmail

you blackmail

they blackmail

Present continuous

I am blackmailing

you are blackmailing

he/she/it is blackmailing

we are blackmailing

you are blackmailing

they are blackmailing

Present perfect

I have blackmailed

you have blackmailed

he/she/it has blackmailed

we have blackmailed

you have blackmailed

they have blackmailed

Present perfect continuous

I have been blackmailing

you have been blackmailing

he/she/it has been blackmailing

we have been blackmailing

you have been blackmailing

they have been blackmailing

Present tense is used to refer to circumstances that exist at the present time or over a period that includes the present time. The present perfect refers to past events, although it can be considered to denote primarily the resulting present situation rather than the events themselves.

PAST

Past

I blackmailed

you blackmailed

he/she/it blackmailed

we blackmailed

you blackmailed

they blackmailed

Past continuous

I was blackmailing

you were blackmailing

he/she/it was blackmailing

we were blackmailing

you were blackmailing

they were blackmailing

Past perfect

I had blackmailed

you had blackmailed

he/she/it had blackmailed

we had blackmailed

you had blackmailed

they had blackmailed

Past perfect continuous

I had been blackmailing

you had been blackmailing

he/she/it had been blackmailing

we had been blackmailing

you had been blackmailing

they had been blackmailing

Past tense forms express circumstances existing at some time in the past,

FUTURE

Future

I will blackmail

you will blackmail

he/she/it will blackmail

we will blackmail

you will blackmail

they will blackmail

Future continuous

I will be blackmailing

you will be blackmailing

he/she/it will be blackmailing

we will be blackmailing

you will be blackmailing

they will be blackmailing

Future perfect

I will have blackmailed

you will have blackmailed

he/she/it will have blackmailed

we will have blackmailed

you will have blackmailed

they will have blackmailed

Future perfect continuous

I will have been blackmailing

you will have been blackmailing

he/she/it will have been blackmailing

we will have been blackmailing

you will have been blackmailing

they will have been blackmailing

The future is used to express circumstances that will occur at a later time.

CONDITIONAL

Conditional

I would blackmail

you would blackmail

he/she/it would blackmail

we would blackmail

you would blackmail

they would blackmail

Conditional continuous

I would be blackmailing

you would be blackmailing

he/she/it would be blackmailing

we would be blackmailing

you would be blackmailing

they would be blackmailing

Conditional perfect

I would have blackmail

you would have blackmail

he/she/it would have blackmail

we would have blackmail

you would have blackmail

they would have blackmail

Conditional perfect continuous

I would have been blackmailing

you would have been blackmailing

he/she/it would have been blackmailing

we would have been blackmailing

you would have been blackmailing

they would have been blackmailing

Conditional or "future-in-the-past" tense refers to hypothetical or possible actions.

IMPERATIVE

Imperative

you blackmail
we let´s blackmail
you blackmail

The imperative is used to form commands or requests.

NONFINITE VERB FORMS

Infinitive

to blackmail

Past participle

blackmailed

Present Participle

blackmailing

Infinitive shows the action beyond temporal perspective. The present participle or gerund shows the action during the session. The past participle shows the action after completion.

SYNONYMS OF «BLACKMAIL»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «blackmail» and belong to the same grammatical category.

synonyms of blackmail

bleed · coerce · coercion · compel · compulsion · dragoon · exact · exaction · extort · extortion · force · hold to ransom · hush money · intimidate · intimidation · milk · press-gang · protection · ransom · shakedown · squeeze · threat · threaten · wrest · wring

TRANSLATION OF BLACKMAIL

Find out the translation of blackmail to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.

The translations of blackmail from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «blackmail» in English.

• Translator English - Chinese: 勒索
• Translator English - Spanish: chantaje
• English: blackmail
• Translator English - Hindi: ब्लैकमेल
• Translator English - Arabic: اِبْتِزاز
• Translator English - Russian: шантаж
• Translator English - Portuguese: chantagem
• Translator English - Bengali: ব্ল্যাকমেল
• Translator English - French: chantage
• Translator English - Malay: Memeras ugut
• Translator English - German: Erpressung
• Translator English - Japanese: 恐喝
• Translator English - Korean: 협박
• Translator English - Javanese: Ngemut
• Translator English - Vietnamese: sự tống tiền
• Translator English - Tamil: மிரட்டல்
• Translator English - Marathi: ब्लॅकमेल
• Translator English - Turkish: şantaj
• Translator English - Italian: ricatto
• Translator English - Polish: szantaż
• Translator English - Ukrainian: шантаж
• Translator English - Romanian: șantaj
• Translator English - Greek: εκβιασμός
• Translator English - Afrikaans: afpersing
• Translator English - Swedish: utpressning
• Translator English - Norwegian: utpressing

10 QUOTES WITH «BLACKMAIL»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word blackmail.

1

Jean Cocteau

Emotion resulting from a work of art is only of value when it is not obtained by sentimental blackmail.

2

Chris Colfer

I'm really not good blackmail material.

3

Rafael Correa

We won't tolerate abuses and crimes made every day in the name of freedom of speech. That is freedom of extortion and blackmail.

4

Rafael Correa

The Ecuadorean and Latin American press is not like the European or North American press, which has some professional ethics. They are used to being above the law, to blackmail, to extort.

5

Alberto Fujimori

In fact, this is a blackmail of the terrorists at the expense of the suffering of the hostages.

6

Ben Goldacre

More academics should blog, post videos, post audio, post lectures, offer articles and more. You'll enjoy it: I've had threats and blackmail, abuse, smears and formal complaints with forged documentation.

7

Larry Hagman

As J.R. I could get away with anything - bribery, blackmail and adultery. But I got caught by cancer. I do want everyone to know that it is a very common and treatable form of cancer. I will be receiving treatment while working on the new 'Dallas' series.

8

Sophie Hannah

I want my books to explore motives which make people think, 'Wow! Imagine the psychological state you'd have to be in for that to be your motive!' Whereas things like blackmail, jealousy - they're rational reasons for committing murder.

9

Kim Jong-un

The days are gone forever when our enemies could blackmail us with nuclear bombs.

10

Robin Morgan

Friendship is mutual blackmail elevated to the level of love.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «BLACKMAIL»

Discover the use of blackmail in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to blackmail and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.

Emotional Blackmail: When the People in Your Life Use Fear, ...

" "How can you be so selfish..." Do any of the above sound familiar? They're all examples of emotional blackmail, a powerful form of manipulation in which people close to us threaten to punish us for not doing what they want.

Susan Forward, Donna Frazier, 1998

Blackmail

Story behind the movie.

Tom Ryall, British Film Institute, 1993

Blackmail

Sara Palmer receives an alarming call from her brother, George, who threatens to give her daughter to a child pornography ring unless she pays him off.

Hilda Stahl, 1990

Nuclear Blackmail and Nuclear Balance

Using declassified documents and other sources, this volume examines those crises and compares the decisionmaking processes of leaders who considered nuclear threats with the commonly accepted logic of nuclear deterrence and coercion.

Richard K. Betts

Sexual Blackmail: A Modern History

And as middle-class notions of sexual respectability emerged, so in tandem did sexual blackmail.

Angus McLaren, 2002

Blackmail (Mills & Boon Love Inspired Suspense)

Another facility's been sabotaged!

Robin Caroll, 2012

Ill-Gotten Gains: Evasion, Blackmail, Fraud, and Kindred ...

With its startling conclusions and myriad twists, this book will fascinate all those intrigued by the perplexing relationship between morality and law.

Leo Katz, 1996

The Blackmail Baby (Mills & Boon Modern) (Penny Jordan ...

Penny Jordan needs no introduction as arguably the most recognisable name writing for Mills & Boon.

Penny Jordan, 2013

Mediterranean Billionaire's Blackmail Bargain

When Alicia turns up at Dante D'Aquanni's Italian villa claiming he's responsible for her sister's pregnancy, he's furious.

Abby Green, 2008

Bedded by Blackmail / Millionaire's Secret Seduction (Mills ...

Bedded by Blackmail Robyn Grady Tristan Barkley had sworn off romance.

Robyn Grady, Jennifer Lewis, 2010

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «BLACKMAIL»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term blackmail is used in the context of the following news items.

Teen, 13, held over nude video blackmail

PETALING JAYA - A 13-year-old boy has been picked up for allegedly threatening to circulate photos and videos of a naked girl masturbating. «AsiaOne, Jul 15»

The Beautiful Historic Victory of the NO. Greek Citizens Refuse …

Greek Citizens Refuse Creditors' Blackmail ... victory of the No shows again that the Greek citizens refuse to accept the creditors' blackmail. «Center for Research on Globalization, Jul 15»

The Greek People Have Voted 'No!' to Austerity and Economic …

In the end, of course, the Greek people voted by a landslide (61% to 38%)against European austerity demands that Tsipras labeled “blackmail” ... «ThisCantBeHappening!, Jul 15»

Greece says NO to EU blackmail

Despite this, the majority of courageous Greek people voted NO to blackmail. We don't know what is going to happen next, but whatever ... «Iranian, Jul 15»

National Front MEP: EU must not blackmail Serbia

National Front MEP: EU must not blackmail Serbia. Serbia is a European nation and has its full-fledged place in the EU - "but Serbia's EU entry ... «B92, Jul 15»

10 things to know about former Cowboys WR Michael Irvin: The …

On top of a handful of other incidents over the years, Irvin claimed to be the victim of blackmail in 2007 when he was accused of assaulting a ... «Dallas Morning News, Jul 15»

Greek people showed in vote they 'don't bow to blackmail': Defence …

"The Greek people proved they don't bow to blackmail, to terror, to threats, democracy has won," tweeted Kammenos, the leader of the junior ... «Economic Times, Jul 15»

Pop-up cinema to show Alfred Hitchcock's Blackmail in Saffron Walden

Alfred Hitchcock's film Blackmail will be screened in Saffron Walden with live accompaniment by the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Saffron Screen ... «Herts and Essex Observer, Jul 15»

The no rally was bigger than any protest since 2012 (Pic: Workers …

Blackmail. “This is something that has been used to blackmail Syriza all along–and it looks as if that blackmail will continue. “But we have to ask ... «Socialist Worker, Jul 15»

Greece: The Blackmail Of Auste... GAYETI SINGH

LONDON: Chaos is a Greek concept. According to Greek mythology, chaos was the origin of everything. It was the primordial void, the source ... «Google, Jul 15»