What does extorted mean?
Extorted is the past tense and past participle of the verb 'extort', meaning to obtain money, property, information, or compliance from someone through force, threats, intimidation, or the misuse of one's position of power. The word carries an unmistakably criminal and coercive charge: it implies not merely persuasion but pressure that strips the victim of genuine choice. In everyday use it appears most often in legal and journalistic contexts — officials who extorted bribes, gangs that extorted protection money, interrogators accused of extorting confessions. It can also be applied figuratively, as when someone is said to have extorted a promise or concession through sheer persistence. Derived from the Latin torquere, meaning to twist, the word shares deep roots with 'torture' and 'torment', a lineage that captures its essential character: wrenching something out of another person against their will.
verb (past tense and past participle of 'extort')Obtained something, especially money, from someone by force, threats, or the abuse of authority. The past form of 'extort', typically used in criminal or coercive contexts.
- To obtain money, property, or information from someone by force, threats, or abuse of power.
- Figuratively: to extract something (such as a concession or confession) through persistent pressure.
"The corrupt official extorted bribes from small business owners for years before his arrest."
"Prosecutors alleged that the gang extorted protection payments from dozens of shopkeepers."
"Under relentless questioning, the detectives were accused of having extorted a false confession."
The Latin root of 'extort' — torquere, 'to twist' — is the same root that gives us 'torture': extortion literally twists something out of its victim.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of extorted
Extorted comes from Latin extortus, the past participle of extorquere, meaning to twist out or wrest away, formed from ex- ('out') plus torquere ('to twist'). The verb entered English via Anglo-Norman and Old French in the late Middle Ages, initially in legal contexts concerning wrongful seizure of property. Its Latin root also produced English words such as torture, torment, and contort, all built on the same image of twisting.
Related word forms
How extorted is actually used
Formal-to-neutral register, strongly negative connotation; almost always appears with an explicit object and often the preposition 'from'. Commonly used in legal and journalistic writing.
Easily confused with extorted
'Exalted' means raised in rank or praise, while 'extorted' means obtained through coercion — they differ entirely in meaning despite similar spelling.