as in cheating
the exaction of a grossly excessive charge for goods or services
six dollars for a cup of coffee is just plain extortion
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Recent Examples of extortion
Upon being terminated for poor performance, the company received a series of extortion emails demanding a six-figure ransom in cryptocurrency.
—
Lars Daniel, Forbes, 17 Oct. 2024
And this cultural extortion, rooted in naïve ghetto socialism — a perversion of the civil-rights heritage — plants a worrisome notion.
—Armond White, National Review, 11 Oct. 2024
Since then, federal prosecutors have linked the gang to at least 15 murders, drug dealing, contraband smuggling schemes, arsons, robberies and extortion plots.
—Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 7 Oct. 2024
In addition to the day’s catch, Ruiz must also consider the armed group charging his collective a monthly extortion fee, the strain of safely getting to the mangroves and home again, and plummeting sales related to the violence that has largely taken over Ecuador’s coast.
—Cheri Lucas Rowlands, Longreads, 1 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for extortion 
Lars Daniel, Forbes, 17 Oct. 2024
And this cultural extortion, rooted in naïve ghetto socialism — a perversion of the civil-rights heritage — plants a worrisome notion.
—Armond White, National Review, 11 Oct. 2024
Since then, federal prosecutors have linked the gang to at least 15 murders, drug dealing, contraband smuggling schemes, arsons, robberies and extortion plots.
—Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 7 Oct. 2024
In addition to the day’s catch, Ruiz must also consider the armed group charging his collective a monthly extortion fee, the strain of safely getting to the mangroves and home again, and plummeting sales related to the violence that has largely taken over Ecuador’s coast.
—Cheri Lucas Rowlands, Longreads, 1 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for extortion
Thesaurus Entries Near extortion
Cite this Entry
“Extortion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extortion. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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