extorted

verb

past tense of extort
as in exacted
to get (as money) by the use of force or threats a school bully who was used to extorting lunch money from weaker kids

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of extorted Clement later successfully extorted one of Roshanki’s friends for $5,000 in drug proceeds, then insisted that Roshanski owed him money for drugs and fraud. — Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 27 Aug. 2026 The police chief allegedly extorted the victim and the victim’s father in connection with the pending murder case. — Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026 The necessity of it to my defence against a more heinous charge could alone have extorted from me so painful an indecorum. — Tracy Grant, Encyclopedia Britannica, 26 June 2026 Richards attained fame as a pioneering male supermodel in major ad campaigns by the likes of Bruce Weber, Richard Avedon, and Helmut Newton, but all along he was being extorted and exploited by Mierers and his followers to bolster (and bankroll) their shaky, pseudoscientific philosophy. — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 16 June 2026 Cutaia, who has a criminal record dating back to the 1990s, extorted two businessmen starting in 2023 — even before his release from federal prison at the end of his 15-year sentence. — John Annese, New York Daily News, 15 June 2026 But Ancel Glink representatives said Odelson, Murphey, Frazier and McGrath overstepped by petitioning to represent Calumet City in both a labor dispute and a lawsuit where a former employee claims Jones extorted him and wrongfully terminated his employment. — Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 27 May 2026 Kraken, one of the world’s oldest crypto exchanges, said it’s being extorted by a criminal group that claims to have access to some client account information. — Olga Kharif, Bloomberg, 13 Apr. 2026 At least three organizations have been extorted and suffered hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages after proprietary information was posted online by IT workers. — Lisa Cavazuti, NBC news, 15 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for extorted
  1. exacted
  2. coerced
  3. squeezed
  4. wrung
  5. wrested
  6. forced
  7. fleeced
Verb
  • But, in a breakthrough performance, Hoon Lee never lets the viewer forget the heavy toll exacted by his character’s spiritual homelessness.
    — Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 1 Oct. 2026
  • As chief of acute care surgery, Firas Madbak sees firsthand the toll exacted by guns.
    — Yona Gavino, Miami Herald, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of exacted
Verb
  • Her confession to murdering her 2-year-old daughter was coerced, and the district attorney who prosecuted her case was later convicted of bribery, extortion and other crimes.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Terry Kay liked to tell the story of how he was coerced into writing his first novel by Pat Conroy, who told his literary agent Kay had written a brilliant manuscript.
    — Suzanne Van Atten, AJC.com, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of coerced
Verb
  • Yet profits have still been squeezed as jet fuel prices surged roughly 90% since the US-Israeli war on Iran began in February, forcing several major carriers to cut earnings forecasts.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Meanwhile, free cash flow at another budget carrier, JetBlue Airways, remains severely squeezed by elevated jet fuel prices.
    — , CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of squeezed
Verb
  • By the way the quarterback wrung the most out of John Metchie and a tight-end-by-committee crew with two of his three starting receivers out.
    — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 5 Oct. 2026
  • When cleaning wood or stone, use it barely damp and well wrung, with a pH-neutral cleaner.
    — Louise Parks, Martha Stewart, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of wrung
Verb
  • One of Indian democracy’s great achievements is that even its poorest citizens have proved adept at recognizing when the power of their vote is being wrested away, gauging the consequences and organizing to resist.
    — Asim Ali, Time, 24 Oct. 2026
  • The report also stated that Saudi Arabia has ruled out negotiations until the strait has been wrested from Houthi control.
    — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of wrested
Verb
  • Earlier this fall, a deadlocked jury in the Lindsay Clancy murder case forced the judge to declare a mistrial.
    — Anja Aronowsky Cronberg, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2026
  • CoreWeave, the biggest of the group, has seen the spread on its credit default swaps soar past 11%, as investors are forced to pay up for insurance against default.
    — Kif Leswing,Isabel O'Brien, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of forced
Verb
  • The text is written on parchment made from sheep, fleeced, their hides soaked in lime, stretched and dried.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026
  • As an example of money wasted by LAHSA’s lack of financial controls, Turner cited the recent federal indictment alleging a homeless services provider fleeced the system of $23 million in fraudulent billings.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of fleeced

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Cite this Entry

“Extorted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extorted. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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