I. black ‧ mail 1 /ˈblækmeɪl/ BrE AmE noun [uncountable]
[ Date: 1500-1600 ; Origin: black + mail 'payment' (11-20 centuries) (from Old Norse mal 'speech, agreement' ) ]
1 . when someone tries to get money from you or make you do what they want by threatening to tell other people your secrets
2 . when someone tries to make you do what they want by making threats or by making you feel guilty if you do not do it:
She had already tried emotional blackmail (=tried to make him feel guilty) to stop him leaving.
II. blackmail 2 BrE AmE verb [transitive]
to use blackmail against someone:
He was jailed for four years for blackmailing gay businessmen.
blackmail somebody into (doing) something
I refuse to be blackmailed into making a quick decision.
—blackmailer noun [countable]
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THESAURUS
▪ force to make someone do something they do not want to do. Used when people or situations make you do something:
They were beaten and forced to confess to crimes they had not committed.
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The drought forced millions of farmers to sell their cattle.
▪ make to force someone to do something by using pressure, threats, or violence. Make somebody do something is more common than force somebody to do something in everyday English:
Her parents disapproved of Alex and they made her stop seeing him.
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Two men with guns made the staff hand over the money.
▪ pressure ( also pressurize British English ) to try to force someone to do something by making them feel that they should do it:
Some employers pressure their staff into working very long hours.
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She felt they were trying to pressurize her into getting married.
▪ blackmail to force someone to give you money or do what you want by threatening to tell embarrassing secrets about them:
She tried to blackmail him with photographs of them together at the hotel.
▪ compel [usually passive] formal to force someone to do something using official power or authority. Also used when someone has to do something because of their situation:
The town was surrounded and compelled to surrender.
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I felt compelled to offer them some kind of explanation.
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You are compelled by law to carry an ID card.
▪ coerce /kəʊˈɜːs $ ˈkoʊɜːrs/ formal to force someone to do something by threatening them:
Local people were coerced into joining the rebel army.
▪ be obliged to do something formal if someone is obliged to do something, they must do it because it is the law or the rule, or because of the situation they are in:
You are not obliged to say anything which may harm your defence in court.
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They were obliged to sell the land.