Threaten vs Blackmail - What's the difference?
threaten | blackmail |
To make a threat against someone; to use threats.
* {{quote-book, year=1905, author=
, title=
, chapter=2 To menace, or be dangerous.
To portend, or give a warning of.
(archaic) A certain rate of money, corn, cattle, or other thing, anciently paid, in the north of England and south of Scotland, to certain men who were allied to robbers, or moss troopers, to be by them protected from pillage.
Payment of money exacted by means of intimidation; also, extortion of money from a person by threats of public accusation, exposure, or censure.
:: to extort money by threats, as of injury to one's reputation
(English law) Black rent, or rent paid in corn, meat, or the lowest coin, as opposed to white rent, which paid in silver.
To extort money or favors from (a person) by exciting fears of injury other than bodily harm, such as injury to reputation, distress of mind, false accusation, etc.; as, to blackmail a merchant by threatening to expose an alleged fraud.
As verbs the difference between threaten and blackmail
is that threaten is to make a threat against someone; to use threats while blackmail is to extort money or favors from (a person) by exciting fears of injury other than bodily harm, such as injury to reputation, distress of mind, false accusation, etc; as, to blackmail a merchant by threatening to expose an alleged fraud.As a noun blackmail is
(archaic) a certain rate of money, corn, cattle, or other thing, anciently paid, in the north of england and south of scotland, to certain men who were allied to robbers, or moss troopers, to be by them protected from pillage.threaten
English
Verb
(en verb)citation, passage=No one, however, would have anything to do with him, as Mr. Keeson's orders in those respects were very strict ; he had often threatened any one of his employés with instant dismissal if he found him in company with one of these touts.}}
- He threatened me with a knife.
- The rocks threatened the ship's survival.
- The black clouds threatened heavy rain.
Usage notes
* This is a catenative verb that takes the to infinitive . Seeblackmail
English
(wikipedia blackmail)Noun
(-)- to levy blackmail
