What does extort mean?
"Extort" means to obtain money, property, or some other concession from a person through coercion — threats, violence, or the abuse of power — rather than through voluntary agreement. In law, extortion is a serious crime: a blackmailer who threatens to reveal damaging secrets unless paid, or an official who demands bribes under colour of authority, both commit extortion. The verb is typically used in the pattern "extort something from someone," as in "the gang extorted money from local businesses." Beyond its legal sense, "extort" appears figuratively when something is wrested from a reluctant source only through great pressure or persistence, as in extorting a confession or extorting a smile from a shy child. The word always carries negative connotations, implying wrongdoing on one side and victimisation on the other. It derives from Latin roots meaning to twist out, sharing ancestry with "torment" and "distort."
verbTo obtain something, especially money, from someone by force, threats, or other illegal or unfair pressure. More broadly, to wrest or extract something with great difficulty or persistent effort.
- To obtain money or valuables from someone through force, threats, or the misuse of authority (the dominant legal and everyday sense).
- To wring or extract something, such as information or a concession, with great effort or persistence (often figurative).
"The corrupt official extorted millions from businesses by threatening to revoke their licenses."
"Gangsters extorted protection money from shopkeepers throughout the neighbourhood."
"The prosecutor finally extorted a confession after hours of relentless questioning."
The same Latin root that gives us "torture" also gives us "extort" — literally, to twist something out of someone.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of extort
"Extort" comes from the Latin "extortus," the past participle of "extorquere," formed from "ex-" (out) plus "torquere" (to twist), so the literal sense is "to twist out." English adopted the verb in the early 16th century, initially in the legal sense of obtaining money by unlawful pressure, and later extended it figuratively to any forcible extraction. The same Latin root "torquere" gives us related words such as "torture," "distort," "torment," and "torsion," all built around the idea of twisting.
Related word forms
How extort is actually used
"Extort" carries strongly negative connotations; it is standard in legal contexts, where extortion is a criminal offence, but is also used figuratively for any aggressive extraction of cooperation or information. It normally takes the pattern "extort something from someone." The verb is transitive and fairly formal in register.
Easily confused with extort
"Extract" means simply to draw out or remove something (often neutral in tone), while "extort" specifically implies obtaining it through threats, force, or abuse of power.