n. the crime of threatening to reveal embarrassing, disgraceful o...

1852, from blackmail (n.). Related: Blackmailed; blackmailing.

1550s, from black (adj.) + Middle English male "rent, tribute," from Old English mal "lawsuit, terms, bargaining, agreement," from Old Norse mal "speech, agreement;" rela [..]

An unjustified demand, threatening to reveal embarrassing, disgraceful, or damaging facts (or rumors) about a person to the public, family, spouse, or associates unless paid off to not carry out the t [..]

exert pressure on someone through threats extortion of money by threats to divulge discrediting information Blackmail is the act of threatening to reveal substantially true information about a person [..]

[originally, payment extorted from farmers in Scotland and northern England, from black + dialectal mail payment, rent] : extortion or coercion by often written threats esp. of public exposure, ...

Blackmail is the crime of threatening to reveal embarrassing, disgraceful or damaging information about a person to the public, family, spouse or associates unless money is paid to purchase silence. I [..]

(n) extortion of money by threats to divulge discrediting information(v) exert pressure on someone through threats(v) obtain through threats

  An illegal demand for money or property under threat of harm or exposure of undesirable acts.

Blackmail is an indictable offence where a person attempts to extract goods of value or force particular behaviours, by making threats of violence.

An illegal demand for money or property under threat of harm or exposure of undesirable acts.

n. the crime of threatening to reveal embarrassing, disgraceful or damaging facts (or rumors) about a person to the public, family, spouse or associates unless paid off to not carry out the threat. It [..]

An unwarranted demand with menaces.

(archaic) A certain rate of money, corn, cattle, or other thing, anciently paid, in the north of England and south of Scotland, to certain men who were allied to robbers, or moss troopers, to be by [..]