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Extort vs Pilfer - What's the difference?

extort | pilfer |

As verbs the difference between extort and pilfer

is that extort is to wrest from an unwilling person by physical force, menace, duress, torture, or any undue or illegal exercise of power or ingenuity; to wrench away (from); to tear away; to wring (from); to exact; as, to extort contributions from the vanquished; to extort confessions of guilt; to extort a promise; to extort payment of a debt while pilfer is to steal in small quantities, or articles of small value; to practise petty theft.

extort

English

(Webster 1913)

Verb

(en verb)
  • To wrest from an unwilling person by physical force, menace, duress, torture, or any undue or illegal exercise of power or ingenuity; to wrench away (from); to tear away; to wring (from); to exact; as, to extort contributions from the vanquished; to extort confessions of guilt; to extort a promise; to extort payment of a debt.
  • (legal) To obtain by means of the offense of extortion.
  • (transitive, and, intransitive, medicine, ophthalmology) To twist outwards.

    • Derived terms

    * extortion * extortionate * extortionist

    See also

    * intort

    pilfer

    English

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To steal in small quantities, or articles of small value; to practise petty theft.

    • Derived terms

    * pilferage * pilferer