blackmail

blackmail (someone) into (something)

To coerce someone to take a certain action by threatening to expose something about them. I've known him for years and can definitely blackmail him into silence. The maid blackmailed her famous employer into paying her an exorbitant sum of money. It was discovered that the detectives had blackmailed the suspect into confessing.

See also: blackmail

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

blackmail someone into doing something

to force a person to do something by threatening to reveal some secret about the person. Are you trying to blackmail me into doing what you want? They blackmailed me into doing it.

See also: blackmail

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.