Word
blackmail
Phoneticsblack·mail, stress on the first syllable
US/ˈbɫækˌmeɪɫ/
UK/blˈækmeɪl/
Uncountable noun Law
Definition
n. the act of demanding money or a favor from someone by threatening to reveal a secret about them. It often involves a person feeling trapped because they do not want others to find out the truth.
n. the exertion of pressure or extortion by threatening to reveal incriminating or socially damaging information. In a legal context, it involves the demand for payment or action in exchange for maintaining confidentiality.
Examples
“He paid the secret witness to stop the blackmail.”
“The politician's career ended when a former associate tried to use old emails for blackmail.”
“The plot of the thriller centers on a high-stakes case of digital blackmail, where an anonymous hacker threatens to leak corporate secrets unless a massive ransom is paid in cryptocurrency.”
Examples
simple
“He paid the secret witness to stop the blackmail.”
contextual
“The politician's career ended when a former associate tried to use old emails for blackmail.”
complex
“The plot of the thriller centers on a high-stakes case of digital blackmail, where an anonymous hacker threatens to leak corporate secrets unless a massive ransom is paid in cryptocurrency.”
Usage
Usually treated as uncountable, though 'a piece of blackmail' or specific instances can be described; frequently occurs with the verbs 'commit', 'attempt', or 'succumb to'.
Real-World Examples
“Bank staff claimed Burwood was "almost blackmailing" the woman, and told her to ask for the accounts to be unlocked.” “There are shades of both The Sopranos and Wednesday Addams in this tale of a powerful old American family whose trade is murder, blackmail and financial fraud.” “She then blackmailed them with photos and videos of the acts for nearly $12 million.” “In 1954, Maheu was hired to deal with a starlet attempting to blackmail Hughes after their relationship had soured.” Etymology
The word is a straightforward compound of black + mail; the second element is not the modern postal sense but the older Scots and northern English male or mal, meaning a rent or tribute, itself from Old English māl “contract, terms”, which in turn hauls in Old Norse mál “agreement, lawsuit” and, further back, Proto-Germanic maþlą “gathering” and Proto-Indo-European med- “to measure or counsel”.
On the Anglo-Scottish Borders and in the Highlands the stuff was exacted by mounted freebooters who offered protection in exchange for produce or labour; the tribute was literally black because it was paid in goods rather than silver, and figuratively black because non-payment frequently ended in arson. Latin clerks labelled the two systems reditus nigri and reditus albi; locals simply called the extorted heap “black mail” and the legitimate coin “white rent”.
By 1826 the compound had slipped its geographical tether and was applied to any coerced payment, after which the original rural protection racket faded into footnote and the word settled into its modern career of threatening polite society from behind a letterbox.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Domain
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
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