Blackmail — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

extortion of money by threats to divulge discrediting information

exert pressure on someone through threats

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/kˈæmeɪəˌuː/

🇬🇧British English

/bɹˈaɪɐnˌaɪt/

🇮🇳Indian English

/bɹˈaɪɐnˌaɪt/

2 syllables Say it as /kˈæmeɪəˌuː/.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

blackjack pressure

Parts of Speech

noun	extortion of money by threats to divulge discrediting information
verb	exert pressure on someone through threats
verb	obtain through threats

Word Forms

blackmail	verb	exert pressure on someone through threats
blackmail	noun	extortion of money by threats to divulge discrediting information
blackmailer	noun	a criminal who extorts money from someone by threatening to expose embarrassing information about them
pressure	noun	a force that compels

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

Erpressung

Gelderpressung durch Drohung, diskreditierende Informationen preiszugeben

🇫🇷French

chantage

extorsion d'argent par menaces de divulguer des informations discréditantes

🇪🇸Spanish

chantaje

Extorsión de dinero mediante amenazas de divulgar información desacreditadora.

🇮🇹Italian

ricatto

estorsione di denaro mediante la minaccia di divulgare informazioni discreditanti

🇳🇱Dutch

chantage

afpersing van geld door te dreigen in diskrediet brengende informatie openbaar te maken

🇵🇹Portuguese

chantagem

extorsão de dinheiro através de ameaças de divulgação de informações desacreditáveis

🇷🇺Russian

шантажировать

вымогательство денег путем угроз разгласить компрометирующую информацию

India

🇮🇳Hindi

भयादोहन

बदनाम करने वाली जानकारी सार्वजनिक करने की धमकी देकर धन की उगाही

🇧🇩Bengali

ব্ল্যাকমেইল

অসম্মানজনক তথ্য প্রকাশের হুমকি দিয়ে অর্থ আদায়

🇮🇳Tamil

மிரட்டல்

இழிவான தகவல்களை வெளியிட மிரட்டல் மூலம் பணம் பறித்தல்

🇮🇳Telugu

బ్లాక్ మెయిల్

అప్రతిష్ట సమాచారాన్ని బహిర్గతం చేయడానికి బెదిరింపుల ద్వారా డబ్బు దోపిడీ

🇮🇳Marathi

ब्लॅकमेल

बदनामीकारक माहिती जाहीर करण्याची धमकी देऊन पैशांची उधळपट्टी

🇮🇳Gujarati

બ્લેકમેલ

બદનામ માહિતી જાહેર કરવાની ધમકીઓ દ્વારા નાણાંની ઉચાપત

🇮🇳Kannada

ಕಪ್ಪುಚುಕ್ಕೆ

ಅಪಖ್ಯಾತಿಯ ಮಾಹಿತಿಯನ್ನು ಬಹಿರಂಗಪಡಿಸಲು ಬೆದರಿಕೆಯ ಮೂಲಕ ಹಣ ಸುಲಿಗೆ

🇮🇳Malayalam

ബ്ലാക്ക് മെയിൽ

അപകീർത്തികരമായ വിവരങ്ങൾ വെളിപ്പെടുത്തുമെന്ന് ഭീഷണിപ്പെടുത്തി പണം തട്ടിയെടുക്കൽ

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਬਲੈਕਮੇਲ

ਬਦਨਾਮ ਜਾਣਕਾਰੀ ਦੇਣ ਦੀਆਂ ਧਮਕੀਆਂ ਦੇ ਕੇ ਪੈਸੇ ਦੀ ਲੁੱਟ

🇵🇰Urdu

بلیک میل

بدنام کرنے والی معلومات کو ظاہر کرنے کی دھمکیاں دے کر رقم کی وصولی

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

勒索

通过威胁泄露不可信信息来勒索金钱

🇯🇵Japanese

脅迫

信用を落とす情報を漏らすと脅して金銭を強要すること

🇰🇷Korean

약탈

신용이 없는 정보를 누설하겠다고 위협하여 금전 갈취

🇻🇳Vietnamese

tống tiền

tống tiền bằng cách đe dọa tiết lộ thông tin làm mất uy tín

🇹🇭Thai

แบล็กเมล์

การขู่กรรโชกเงินโดยการขู่ว่าจะเปิดเผยข้อมูลที่ทำให้เสื่อมเสียชื่อเสียง

🇮🇩Indonesian

pemerasan

pemerasan uang dengan ancaman membocorkan informasi yang mendiskreditkan

🇲🇾Malay

memeras ugut

pemerasan wang melalui ugutan untuk mendedahkan maklumat yang mencemarkan nama baik

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

ابتزاز

- ابتزاز الأموال عن طريق التهديد بإفشاء معلومات مشوهة

🇮🇷Persian

باج گیری

اخاذی از طریق تهدید به افشای اطلاعات بی اعتبار

🇹🇷Turkish

şantaj

itibarsızlaştırıcı bilgilerin ifşa edilmesi tehdidiyle para gaspı

🇮🇱Hebrew

לִסְחוֹט

סחיטת כסף באיומים לחשוף מידע מכפיש

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'blackmail'?

The primary meaning of 'blackmail' is 'extortion of money by threats to divulge discrediting information'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'blackmail' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'blackmail' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'blackmail' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'blackmail' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'blackmail' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

Rarely

Never

Do you find 'blackmail' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'blackmail' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'blackmail' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'blackmail' in a professional email?

Very likely

Somewhat likely

Not very likely

Never

Would you classify 'blackmail' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

Pick an option to see how others voted