Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. The act or an instance of extorting.
- n. Illegal use of one's official position or powers to obtain property, funds, or patronage.
- n. An excessive or exorbitant charge.
- n. Something extorted.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. The act of extorting; the act or practice of wresting anything from a person by force, duress, menace, authority, or any undue exercise of power; oppressive or illegal exaction, as of excessive price, rent, or interest.
- n. In law, strictly, the crime of obtaining money or other property, or service, from another under color of public office, when none is due, or not so much is due, or before it is due. In some of the United States, however, a wider meaning is given to the word by statute.
- n. That which is extorted; a gross overcharge: as, the price you paid was an extortion.
Wiktionary
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. The act of extorting; the act or practice of wresting anything from a person by force, by threats, or by any undue exercise of power; undue exaction; overcharge.
- n. (Law) The offense committed by an officer who corruptly claims and takes, as his fee, money, or other thing of value, that is not due, or more than is due, or before it is due.
- n. That which is extorted or exacted by force.
WordNet 3.0
- n. an exorbitant charge
- n. unjust exaction (as by the misuse of authority)
- n. the felonious act of extorting money (as by threats of violence)
Examples
“Their pertinacity in extortion is said to be marvellous.”
“But Jean-Philippe Chauzy, a spokesman for the IOM, said interviews with 14 Libyan migrants reaching Lampedusa on three vessels over the weekend confirmed a pattern of payments to officials, which he characterized as extortion.”
The Wall Street Journal: Libyan Officials Profit From Migrants
“He claimed his former employee try to blackmail him and said he paid her what he called extortion money and was afraid to go to authorities.”
“In addition to drug trafficking, authorities say, the Zetas are involved in extortion, kidnapping, producing pirated CDs and DVDs, sales of alcohol and migrant smuggling.”
13 high school and college students killed at a party in Cd. J�arez
“For them the threat of kidnapping and extortion is what concerns them the most and, I would argue, this phenomenon is ubiquitous throughout the Republic.”
“They are involved in extortion, kidnapping, robberies, etc.etc. -- and many of their crimes are against normal citizens (tianguis vendors, small business owners) not just the wealthy. jennifer rose”
“They are involved in extortion, kidnapping, robberies, etc.etc. -- and many of their crimes are against normal citizens (tianguis vendors, small business owners) not just the wealthy.”
“Peugeot 908 HDi FAP Hybrid Racer Debuts, Fails To Charge Audience Video: More Speed Racer Movie Teasers with Video Trailer to Boot! mat: Right its called extortion and racketering under the color of law Paul Bradley: Great idea, and the price will come down, but it'll be hell in the air once it does 'take ...”
“Furthermore, since the standard definition of the word extortion is (from Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged.”
“Finally, even if Uchitel's conduct could be characterized as extortion, Halderman ignores a little something called prosecutorial discretion.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘extortion’.
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1100
abound, technology, branch of knowled..., prognosticate, automaton, matron, an older married ..., realm, special field of ..., kingdom, annals, historical records and 981 more...
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GRE 2014
abase, abate, abdicate, aberrant, abeyance, abhor, abjure, abortive, abound, abrasive, abreast, abridge and 1577 more...
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POL - scandalous (single words only)
cadre, bribery, bashing, backhander, clash, crony, coercion, coterie, chicanery, baksheesh, acolyte, backlash and 256 more...
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JURI - crimes and offences
Don't commit any of these if you can
firearms trafficking, serious and organ..., trafficking in hu..., illegal shipment ..., cybercrime, money laundering, sale of counterfe..., sale of dangerous..., smuggling, infraction, corruption, organised crime and 153 more...
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POL - scandalous (words and collocati...
Words and collocations associated with political scandal
blow the whistle, boo, cronyism and rigging, democratic deficit, denigrate, dirty linen, fiasco, finger pointing a..., graft, hidden account, hush money, illicit financing... and 578 more...
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EN-HU - important words for a HU inte...
Words only (I left out the expressions) from Geza Kerenyi's EN-HU interpreters' dictionary. Most of them pose some difficulty when interpreted between HU and EN in either or both directions.
abalone, abrasive, abstractionist, abstruse, abysmal, academia, accessibility, accessible, acclimate, accolade, accompanist, achiever and 1469 more...
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JURI - courtroom speak
Legal glossary with special focus on courtroom vocabulary
accused, acquittal, ADA, adjournment, adjudication, affidavit, affirmed, aggravated range, aggravating factors, allegation, alleged, answer and 794 more...
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GRE 1100
drudgery, implore, hapless, nuance, wrest, incipient, inadvertent, tremulous, bristle, euphemism, disdain, pugnacious and 346 more...
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big book gre
abase, abbess, abbey, abbot, abdicate, abdomen, abdominal, abduction, abed, aberration, abet, abeyance and 6689 more...
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1100 words you need to know
GRE words
voracious, indiscriminate, eminent, steeped, replete, abound, technology, prognosticate, automaton, matron, paradox, realm and 288 more...
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Personal Vocabulary List
All my favourite words that I come across!
veritable, incongruence, rigamorole, letcherous, revolting, repulsive, reputrid, rapatious, forays, guise, placate, paradigm and 1162 more...
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quality words
This is a mix of new words I've read studying for the GRE verbal and words I use normally. I also check back on these words if I don't use them often enough.
ineffable, septuagenarian, sesquipedalian, argyle, coalescence, profundity, vivisepulture, defenestrate, concatenate, usurp, diatribe, veracious and 461 more...
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The Sog Collection
My big word list.
chaos, flaccid, empirical, flotsam, cacophony, grumble, assuage, awe, romance, mortality, coalesce, fortuitous and 3282 more...
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Revised GRE Wordlist_2013
Vocabulary building for my quest of GRE 2013
ephemeral, esoteric, rhetoric, censure, egregious, pittance, dupe, mulct, paucity, alacrity, maintain, laconic and 997 more...
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List 1
the list of vocabularies from 1100 words you need to know Barron's.
conceded, eminent, prognosticate, indiscriminate, voracious, replete, abound, badger, drudgery, interminable, perceive, tinge and 248 more...
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Just 'cause I like 'em, E
excoriate, exoskeleton, enclave, endemic, erstwhile, entwine, elliptical, élan, earflaps, earlobe, earthen, earthenware and 238 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for extortion.
anydelirium 'She mutely offered a kiss, an offer taken unfair advantage of, to the extortion of about a hundred kisses.' -Shirley, by Charlotte Bronte Feb 19, 2008