- (n.) Payment of money exacted by means of intimidation; also, extortion of money from a person by threats of public accusation, exposure or censure.
- (n.) Black rent or rent paid in corn, flesh or the lowest coin, a opposed to "white rent", which paid in silver.
- (v.t.) To extort money from by exciting fears of injury other than bodily harm, as injury to reputation, distress of mind, etc.; as, to blackmail a merchant by threatening to expose an alleged fraud.
- (n.) 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 them protected from pillage.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
| APA | Webster's. (2011). blackmail. Retrieved September 21, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/blackmail/definitions/1980730 |
| Chicago | Webster's. 2011. "blackmail" http://smartdefine.org/blackmail/definitions/1980730 (accessed September 21, 2026). |
| Harvard | Webster's 2011, blackmail, Smart Define, viewed 21 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/blackmail/definitions/1980730>. |
| MLA | Webster's. "blackmail" 27 May 2011. Web. 21 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/blackmail/definitions/1980730> |