extort

verb

ex·​tort ik-ˈstȯrt How to pronounce extort (audio)
extorted; extorting; extorts

transitive verb

: to obtain from a person by force, intimidation, or undue or illegal power : wring
also : to gain especially by ingenuity or compelling argument
extorter noun
extortive adjective

Did you know?

To extort is literally to wrench something out of someone. Extortion is a mainstay of organized crime. Just as the school bully extorts lunch money from the smaller kids in exchange for not beating them up, thugs extort "protection" money from business owners with threats of violence. But that's only one kind of extortion; a mobster might extort favors from a politician with threats of revealing some dark secret, just as you might extort a favor from a brother or sister by promising not to tell on them.

Choose the Right Synonym for extort

educe, evoke, elicit, extract, extort mean to draw out something hidden, latent, or reserved.

educe implies the bringing out of something potential or latent.

educed order out of chaos

evoke implies a strong stimulus that arouses an emotion or an interest or recalls an image or memory.

a song that evokes warm memories

elicit usually implies some effort or skill in drawing forth a response.

careful questioning elicited the truth

extract implies the use of force or pressure in obtaining answers or information.

extracted a confession from him

extort suggests a wringing or wresting from one who resists strongly.

extorted their cooperation by threatening to inform

Examples of extort in a Sentence

The criminals extorted large sums of money from their victims. He was arrested for extorting bribes.
Recent Examples on the Web The group has extorted at least $107 million in bitcoin from targets, according to a November report by Reuters news agency. Sam Stanton, Sacramento Bee, 29 Feb. 2024 Recent ransomware attackers have extorted payment from employees and been known to issue violent threats to their families. Stu Sjouwerman, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024 The malicious ransomware variant has been deployed by criminal hackers to extort tens of millions of dollars from victims around the world — ranging from global banks to local schools. Leo Sands, Washington Post, 20 Feb. 2024 Lee made a surprising counter-allegation, claiming that Kim had extorted $225,000 from him, while another blackmailer — later revealed to be Park — had resorted to extortion as well, to the tune of $37,000. Max Kim, Los Angeles Times, 13 Feb. 2024 Though the kidnapping is conducted apparently remotely, victims often comply out of fear that their families will be harmed, and parents are extorted for fear that the kidnappers are actually with the victim and could harm them. Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 2 Jan. 2024 Barahona-Martínez fled to the U.S. with her children in 2016 to seek asylum after the openly lesbian woman faced torture and death threats from gangs after being accused of belonging to a rival gang and extorting less than $30. Nicole Acevedo, NBC News, 22 Feb. 2024 According to the Justice Department, the malicious software has been used to extort more than $120 million in ransom payments from over 2,000 victims. Leo Sands, Washington Post, 20 Feb. 2024 The fact that, back in 2019, Donald Trump appeared to attempt to extort Zelensky—conditioning military aid on Ukraine’s willingness to investigate the Biden family—is not an encouraging sign for supporters of Ukraine. Keith Gessen, The New Yorker, 15 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'extort.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin extortus, past participle of extorquēre to wrench out, extort, from ex- + torquēre to twist — more at torture entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of extort was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near extort

Cite this Entry

“Extort.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/extort. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

extort

verb
ex·​tort ik-ˈstȯ(ə)rt How to pronounce extort (audio)
: to get (as money) from a person by the use of force or threats
extorter noun
Etymology

from Latin extortus, past participle of extorquēre "to twist out, extort," from ex- "out, away" and torquēre "to twist" — related to distort, retort, torture

Legal Definition

extort

transitive verb
ex·​tort ik-ˈstȯrt How to pronounce extort (audio)
: to obtain (as money) from a person by force, intimidation, or undue or unlawful use of authority or power
extorter noun
extortive adjective
Etymology

Latin extortus, past participle of extorquere to remove by twisting, obtain by force, from ex- out + torquere to twist

More from Merriam-Webster on extort

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