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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of extortion
An earlier version of the film is already notorious for portraying the first of those allegations as an extortion attempt before pricey rewrites and reshoots.
—
Alison Willmore, Vulture, 23 Apr. 2026
Santa Ana Police Chief Robert Rodriguez, who joined federal authorities at the news conference, said the arrests and indictments will particularly help businesses on East First Street, which have had to deal with drug trafficking, extortion and violence.
—Sean Emery, Oc Register, 23 Apr. 2026
The Mexican Mafia was started in the 1950s at a juvenile jail and grew to an international criminal organization that controls smuggling, drug sales and extortion from inside California’s penal system.
—ABC News, 23 Apr. 2026
In another collective trial in November 2025, a court found 45 members of a rival faction, Barrio 18 Sureños, guilty of various crimes, including extortion and homicide.
—Marcos Aleman, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for extortion
Alison Willmore, Vulture, 23 Apr. 2026
Santa Ana Police Chief Robert Rodriguez, who joined federal authorities at the news conference, said the arrests and indictments will particularly help businesses on East First Street, which have had to deal with drug trafficking, extortion and violence.
—Sean Emery, Oc Register, 23 Apr. 2026
The Mexican Mafia was started in the 1950s at a juvenile jail and grew to an international criminal organization that controls smuggling, drug sales and extortion from inside California’s penal system.
—ABC News, 23 Apr. 2026
In another collective trial in November 2025, a court found 45 members of a rival faction, Barrio 18 Sureños, guilty of various crimes, including extortion and homicide.
—Marcos Aleman, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for extortion
Recent Examples of Synonyms for extortion
Noun
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But even for in-person classes, adaptations to prevent LLM cheating are often concessions that reduce pedagogical quality.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
13 Apr. 2026
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Time and again, the panel of experts invited to provide testimony said voter fraud is exceedingly rare and that there is no evidence of widespread cheating.—
Linh Tat,
Daily News,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
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President Lee Jae Myung also advised his government to crack down on oil refinery companies and gas stations to prevent price-gouging while making efforts to secure supply ships that do not pass through the Strait of Hormuz.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
13 Mar. 2026
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The public better wake up, because the creativity of the MTA, and Hochul’s gouging of a disinterested and unwise public, have no limits.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Three games into his Colorado Rapids tenure, the club paying $125,000 in General Allocation Money — less than the going price of an international roster slot — is looking like highway robbery.—
Braidon Nourse,
Denver Post,
14 Sep. 2025
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This was a dangerous situation and was literally highway robbery.—
U T Readers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
21 July 2025
Noun
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Thermal runaway can be triggered by a variety of conditions, including battery damage, overheating, overcharging, manufacturing defects, exposure to salt water, and external fires.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Because this was an intentional policy maneuver, rather than an accounting or process problem, and there is no guarantee that the federal government will reimburse this large amount of funds, this overcharging and accrual of unpaid federal funds has been flagged by DLS as a legislative issue.—
Steve Arentz,
Baltimore Sun,
2 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Extortion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extortion. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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