extortion

[ik-stawr-shuh n] /ɪkˈstɔr ʃən/
noun
1.
an act or instance of extorting.
2.
Law. the crime of obtaining money or some other thing of value by the abuse of one's office or authority.
3.
oppressive or illegal exaction, as of excessive price or interest:
the extortions of usurers.
4.
anything extorted.
Origin
1250-1300; Middle English extorcion < Late Latin extortiōn- (stem of extortiō). See extort, -ion
Related forms
nonextortion, noun
Can be confused
bribery, extortion.
Synonyms
1, 4. blackmail.
Examples from the web for extortion
  • The systems analyst was arrested on one count of theft by extortion and could face up to 10 years in prison.
  • The juicy, gritty extortion plot is the page-turning aspect, and the theme is the expectation and reality in parenthood.
  • The charges against the two women—of corruption and extortion, respectively—may or may not be deserved.
  • During the meeting, several students tearfully revealed the petty extortion and bullying that had victimized them.
  • The authorities are also cracking down, if slowly, on extortion and graft.
  • This is nothing more than thinly-veiled extortion.
  • She was convicted of extortion and given a 26-month jail sentence.
  • Sounds like a pathetic attempt at extortion to me.
  • The extortion charge carries a maximum penalty of 3 1/2 years in prison.
  • Along the way, the defendants acknowledged widespread extortion and more than a dozen murder conspiracies going back two decades.
British Dictionary definitions for extortion

extortion

/ɪkˈstɔːʃən/
noun
1.
the act of securing money, favours, etc by intimidation or violence; blackmail
Derived Forms
extortioner, extortionist, noun
Word Origin and History for extortion
n.

c.1300, from Latin extortionem (nominative extortio) "a twisting out, extorting," noun of action from past participle stem of extorquere "wrench out, wrest away, to obtain by force," from ex- "out" (see ex-) + torquere "to twist" (see thwart).